Always
by Keiko Fujiwara
Summary: Christmas Special: JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. (Detailed Description inside) Rated: T; I don't own BATB or any of its characters.
1. Part 1

**Keiko Fujiwara: I wanted to write a Christmas special, so here it is! This will be a two-part one-shot. :) It will take place after the mid-season finale of Season 2 and will span over three weeks. **

**In this section, JT is not the friendliest drunk to be around. He is not happy that he almost lost Vincent, and severely takes his anger out on Catherine. I promise, JT will not be a jerk throughout the fanfiction; he will make amends and will have what's coming to him. **

**Also, for my other fanfiction one-shot **_**Come What May**_**, I will not be adding more. It was a one-shot and will remain a one-shot.**

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**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the Christmas holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Always**

**~Part One~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine Chandler paced back and forth inside the lounge of the Gentlemen's Guild as she waited for news of Vincent's injury. She hated herself for shooting him, but what else was there to do? She _could_ have fired a warning shot, but would _that_ have truly stopped him from killing Reynolds? Thousands of questions poured into her mind, and not one of them could be answered.

Just hours ago, she was embracing the love of her life because she had feared Reynolds succeeded in killing him. Now, she was walking in circles inside Vincent's old home and praying to God that he wouldn't die by her hand. She couldn't live with herself if she had killed him. She wouldn't want to.

The moment she heard Vincent's door open, her head snapped in its direction and watched as JT slowly made his way out of the bedroom. "How is he?" she asked as she ran up to the professor, hoping he had some good news. "Is he…okay?"

JT frowned and brushed her aside as he headed for the bar. "He will be…eventually." Without giving Catherine any eye contact, he walked around the bar counter and grabbed a beer. "But he's going to be bedridden for the next few weeks if his beasty side doesn't kick back in soon enough."

"Oh. Wait, I thought he couldn't self-heal?" Catherine replied as she walked towards JT and waited for his response. The air was thin and she knew he really didn't want to talk to her at the moment.

"He can't…at least, he can't self-heal as fast as he used to. However, due to his DNA, most of his injuries will heal at a faster rate than humans, but this one? I'm not so sure. It was more than just a deep wound, Cat." JT shook his head with disappointment and turned away from the female cop. He leaned against the counter and sighed before opening his beer bottle and drinking down one large gulp.

"I know." She replied solemnly.

"No! You don't know!" JT snapped as he whirred around and glared at Catherine. He slammed his bottle down onto the counter, causing the petite woman to jump, before yelling again. "Vincent, with or without his memory, loved you, Cat. Sure, V 2.0 might not have been as emotional as the old V, but it was clear that he still loved you all the same. He _tried_ to do things your way, Catherine, but it wasn't his fault that Tori screwed the plans up by killing the bomb-maker. He wanted to exact justice and frankly, I don't blame him for wanting to kill the bastard!"

"That _bastard_ is my father, JT!" Catherine fired back as she walked closer to him, "I don't like the man either, but that still doesn't mean Vincent should have killed him! Everything was happening too fast and I didn't know what else to do!"

"You could have fired a warning shot instead!" JT argued. "You could have done _anything_ else, but you decided to put one in him!"

"There wasn't enough time to think of anything else, JT!" Catherine shouted as JT started drinking from his bottle again. "If I thought a warning shot would have been enough to stop him, I would have fired one! But I could have risked angering him even more, and that wouldn't have solved the problem, would it?! I did what I had to do in order to _save_ our relationship!"

JT spat out his drink and turned back around out of anger. "You're really that selfish, aren't you?! You care more about trying to save your relationship with Vincent than his own life!"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Do I?" JT challenged. Catherine's nose started to burn from all of JT's harsh insults, but she wouldn't allow herself to break down in front of him. She needed to wait until she was home where no one would ever be able to see her cry from within her walls.

"How dare you." Catherine frowned as tears started threatening to fall. "If you think, after all of this time…after _everything_ I have done to protect Vincent, that I only care about my relationship with him, and nothing else, then I don't know why I even call you my friend, JT." She paused as she felt her lip quiver before adding, "I love him, JT. Nothing will ever change that, but I have to draw the line somewhere." Catherine firmly believed her Vincent was somewhere inside of the _new and non-improved _Vincent Keller. She saw him when he hesitated to kill Reynolds; he was there, but _something_ compelled him to kill her father. If Vincent could forgive her for shooting him, she could eventually forgive him for what he had tried to do. She saw hope in their relationship because she knew she was getting through to him—he had stopped; he was going to back away.

But the way he instantly reverted back to the beast was not like him, and she believed _something_ had caused him to change. Perhaps her father said something to him—something she didn't hear. It was dark after all. She could barely see Vincent's outline from within the shadows.

"You may _think _you love him, but if you truly did, you wouldn't have shot him with your gun." JT replied with a disappointed tone before finishing his bottle and then starting to drink from another one. "I knew, from the moment you stepped into our lives, that something bad would come out of your relationship with him. I had warned Vincent not to bring you into our lives but, like always, he went against my warning and pursued your relationship. Eventually I gave up because I once thought you might be good for him, but I was still worried, for months, that Muirfield would come knocking on our door because of your inability to stay away from Vincent. But who would have thought it would be _you_ who would try to kill him!"

Catherine flinched at every word, but she knew he was on the verge of being drunk and figured he probably didn't know what he was saying. "I did _not_ try to kill him, JT! I tried to save him!"

"By shooting him?! Yeah, well look how well that's turned out! He would have bled to death had I not found him in his houseboat several hours ago!" JT yelled and pointed at Catherine. "Honestly? I don't even know why you bothered to come here, Cat!" Catherine pressed her lips together into a fine line and stood very still as the professor shouted at her in his drunken stupor. "V told me about your boy troubles growing up, and the more I think about it, the more I believe the problem isn't _them_; it's _you_. Bad things happen around _you_. People have died because _you_ can't seem to take 'no' for an answer!

"You finally found a decent guy who had just as much baggage as you did and seemed to always blame himself whenever bad things would happen. And then…And then he fell in love with you and you seemed to have fallen for him. But, like all the rest of the men in your life, you drove him away by shooting him—the only guy who had the mentality to ever care for and love you."

"That's not fair." Catherine mumbled, but when the professor made no indication that he had heard her, she spoke louder. "That's not fair. How dare you bring up my past boyfriends and compare them to Vincent. You don't know anything about the hell I went through when dating them so don't you _dare_ compare them to Vincent." She felt one teardrop slip from her right eye but she didn't care anymore. JT had gone too far this time—even if he was drunk. "Forget I even came here."

Without another word, she ran out of the Guild as fast as she could as she heard JT shout, "Good! Vincent doesn't deserve you anyway!" The instant she found her car, she pulled away from the old bar and drove home without the intention of ever returning. She was done with Vincent Keller and JT Forbes forever.

No matter how much she will always love him, JT was right; Vincent didn't deserve her. She could not seem to help but push the people she cares for away, and to prevent her heart from shattering into a million pieces as it did when she saw the look on Vincent's face when she had shot him, she was determined to never tear down her walls for anyone ever again.

The moment she arrived home, she ran into her apartment and didn't even bother locking her door. She was too broken to care about anything anymore. JT made sure of that. Catherine Chandler darted to her room and flew into her bed before letting out all of the tears she had been storing since Vincent and her father's betrayal.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent finally woke up a few days later and felt like death. He was aching all over and knew he was still recovering from the loss of a lot of blood. It pained him to remember what Catherine had done—but, deep down, he knew why she had done it. He could also remember every memory he had ever lost, and it agonized even more to know that Catherine probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

He tried to sit up and suddenly groaned in pain. His wounds had still not started to heal yet due to the extensive blood loss. Knowing that he needed to walk around before his muscles start to atrophy, Vincent inhaled a sharp breath and slowly slid off of his old bed. He tried to take one step but realized he was still weakened from his loss of blood, and he didn't think he could walk on his own without falling down. He grabbed ahold of the side of the bed and tried walking towards the wall in front of him, but each step was as painful as the one before.

When he was about to muster his strength to pull himself back onto his bed, his door opened, causing him to watch as JT made his way into his room. "What are you doing?!" JT said as he rushed over to Vincent, "You should be in bed and resting!"

"I'm fine, JT." Vincent replied harshly. "I just miscalculated my recovery rate."

"Yeah right. You were once a doctor, Vincent. I think you would know if you were fully recovered." JT raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, okay, you caught me. I just wanted to stretch my legs, all right?" Vincent replied as JT helped him back into the bed. "How long has it been anyway?"

"A few days. You were shot on Monday and it is currently Thursday night." JT answered but didn't look at Vincent. "How are you holding up?"

"I feel like hell, but I think I'll survive." Vincent replied through his teeth as he tried to sit up again. "It's not like I haven't been shot before." To JT's surprise, Vincent was actually smirking.

"Yeah, but you've never been shot by _her_ before." JT muttered darkly and Vincent sensed his best friend's anger.

"Woah now," Vincent widened his eyes, surprised of JT's statement. "JT, you know she did that because she cared about me, right? Her intent was never to kill me—only to stop me from making the worst mistake of my life. You, of all people, should understand that, right?" Vincent may feel like crap, but he wanted JT to know that he didn't blame Catherine for making such a rash decision to shoot him.

"Are you sure of that?" JT raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. "Because she almost killed you, man. Because of _her_, I almost lost you, V."

"If not for her, JT, you would have lost me forever." Vincent replied honestly. "She stopped me from killing Reynolds. I was so consumed with anger that it blinded me from who was more important—Catherine. If I had gone through with killing Reynolds, I don't think I would have ever come back from being a beast; I don't think…I would have gotten my memory back either." Vincent looked sternly into his best friend's eyes and frowned when JT's facial expression didn't soften.

"That may be so, but she didn't have to shoot you, Vincent. She could have figured out another way to prevent you from killing her father."

"Do you really think she would have shot me if she had time to think of an alternative way to stop me?" Vincent furrowed his brows, "JT, I was about to kill her father; she had to draw the line somewhere."

"What is it with you two and lines?" JT threw his hands up into the air, "She tried to kill you and you're not mad? I don't get it!"

"Correction, she tried to save me, not kill me." Vincent replied with a frown. "JT, I honestly don't understand why you're so upset!" The moment he raised his voice, he felt a sharp pain in his side which caused him to wince.

"Upset? You don't know why I'm so upset?! I _told_ you once before that she would be destructive to what you and I had accomplished for the past ten years! I told you that she would be trouble, but you wouldn't listen! I have risked my ass off trying to protect you for more than a decade and you get shot by the very woman I tried to make you forget!"

"Okay, that's enough, JT." Vincent demanded as he leaned forward slightly even though any forward movement hurt like hell. "First of all, you eventually got your wish because I ended up forgetting her—forgetting all of you after what her father had done to me! And you know what? We still managed to find a way back to each other. Second, if I hadn't let my rage get the better of me, Catherine wouldn't have had to shoot her gun. So don't you dare blame this on her. She did what she thought was right, and I am grateful for what she did to save me from my insanity."

JT sighed and took off his glasses to rub his eyes as he tried to prevent an oncoming headache. "You both are insane."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"_She's_ insane for thinking a bullet would be the one-way-ticket to save you and _you_ are crazy because you don't mind the fact that she shot that bullet through your gut!" JT replied, bewildered. "Am I missing something here?!"

"Catherine's not insane; if anything, she's the sanest one of all of us." Vincent replied. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

"Don't know." JT shrugged stoically. "But I can assure you she'll never set foot in here again." As he started to leave Vincent's room, Vincent had grabbed him by the arm to stop him from walking any further.

"_Where_ is she?"

"I don't know all right!" JT yelled as he ripped his arm away from his best friend's grip, "I was drinking the other night and said some things to her. She left after that."

"What things, JT? What did you say to her?" Vincent was angry and could feel his blood starting to boil.

"I can't remember everything, but I remember telling her that you deserved better—which is true." JT replied with a frown. "I know I said some things that I regret and that I took things way too far, but honestly? You're both better off without each other. A cop and a beast is _not_ a good match."

"_You_ don't make that call." Vincent's eyes started to glow. He could feel his blood cells multiplying rapidly as his beast started to reawaken. His wounds were suddenly beginning to close up and his body began to heal. Immediately, he shot out of bed and grabbed a T-shirt from his dresser. The pain was no longer an issue anymore.

"Apparently I have to, V! If I don't, you'll end up being shot again!" JT tried to defend himself. Vincent stuffed his feet into a pair of boots and slipped on his jacket. "Just where are you going?! You're in no condition to be walking about!"

"I'm fine." Vincent replied coldly. "And I'm going to fix _your_ mistake. When I get back, you better bet your ass that you and I are going to have a _very long _talk, JT. I suggest you think very hard about whatever you've said to Catherine and start coming up with one major apology." Vincent could tell JT was lying when he asked him about what he could remember. However, he wanted JT to sweat everything out a little bit longer before confronting him for being an ass.

Before JT could say anything, Vincent was gone. JT turned around and saw himself in Vincent's cracked mirror and for the first time in the last few nights, he realized what an ass he had been to both Catherine and Vincent. "You're not the beast, V." He muttered, "I am."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent crept through the shadows, and made sure no one could see him. He didn't know if Reynolds had any kind of failsafe plan to kill him so he had to be well on his guard while he was out and about. Instead of using the front door to Catherine's apartment, he thought it would be best if he checked in on her through the fire escape window. He didn't have to see her, but he needed to make sure she was okay—mentally and emotionally okay.

He climbed the stairs to her fire escape, and sat on the staircase next to her window. Her curtains were drawn open, and she was in her room, but she wasn't alone. She was curled up into a ball with her head resting on Tess's lap, and she was crying—painfully crying. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on her words; he wanted to know everything JT had said to her. He would deal with the biochemist later. He needed to set things right with Catherine. He couldn't guarantee that his visit would fix everything, but at least it would be a start.

"_Cat, you need to get over this; it's not healthy wasting your tears away over some dickhead when you know you deserve so much better." _Vincent flinched at that insult but he knew it was true. He knew Catherine deserved the universe—something he could never give to her—but that didn't deter from the fact that he loved her more than life itself. He would give anything to make her smile again—even if that meant eternal damnation.

"_No, Tess! You don't get it!" _Catherine sobbed, _"Vincent didn't do anything wrong…"_

"_I thought you said you had to shoot him because he was about to kill your father…" _

"_I did, but…"_ Vincent pressed his ear against the wall as he listened to her confession, _"__**something**__made Vincent revert back to his beast—he was coming back to me! But, when he changed and aimed for my dad's throat, I didn't have a choice." _

"_Okay…"_ Tess paused, _"Then I don't understand why you're crying. Are you upset that you had to shoot him or that he had beasted out __**after**_ _he almost came to his senses?" _

Vincent saw Catherine shake her head out of the corner of her eye, _"No. It's nothing like that." _

"_Then what's got you so upset?" _Tess asked sympathetically. Vincent turned his head slightly to see Catherine, through her sheer curtains, cover her mouth to stifle a sob. _"Cat, you're freakin' the heck out of me. This isn't like you. I know I normally don't butt into your business, but I'm really starting to worry for you." _

Catherine lifted herself from Tess's lap and immediately hugged her knees. _"All I wanted to do was see if he was all right—I wanted to make sure he was okay; that I hadn't killed him with my gun." _

"_And?" _Tess questioned further. _"Did you?"_

Vincent watched the love of his life shake her head slowly. _"No."_

"_Then what happened? Did Vincent say something to you? 'Cuz if he did, I'll punch the living lights out of hi—"_

"_No, Tess;" _Catherine shook her head again; _"Vincent didn't say anything. I didn't even get to go inside his room to see for myself that he would be okay. If I knew that my shot was going to cause so much damage to him, I would have never pulled the trigger. But I had to do something to stop him."_ Catherine's lip quivered as Tess wrapped her arm around her shoulder. Vincent suddenly noticed how poor Catherine had been taking care of herself. She had dark circles under her eyes and her eyes were extremely puffy from too many tears. He hated himself for causing so much agony. Her lips were dry and he could hear her stomach growling. Had she really cooped herself within her room for these past few days without getting anything to eat or drink?

"_Why didn't you get to see him?" _Tess asked as she rocked her best friend back and forth. _"What stopped you?"_

Catherine shook her head. _"It doesn't matter anymore; I'm done living my life like this—I'm tired of constantly worrying over someone who may never remember me. I'm tired of wasting my life protecting someone who is safer without me around. Everyone is safer without me." _

"_Catherine Chandler!" _Tess snapped,_ "Where in the hell is this coming from?! Who told you this crap?! If it was Vincent, I'm going to race over to that bar right now and jab my elbow into his wound!" _

"_It wasn't Vincent." _

"_Then who?" _

Catherine wouldn't answer, but Vincent already knew. Tess would probably figure it out eventually, but now that Vincent had an idea of what JT had told Catherine, he can think of a way to make things right. _"You should go." _Catherine suddenly said to her best friend. _"I'm tired, and I just can't think right now."_

"_There's no way in hell I'm leaving you here in this state, Cat. Besides, when was the last time you showered or even ate a decent meal?"_

"_I don't know." _

"_Fine. How about I go and fix you up a good bowl of soup while you go and take a relaxing bath. Tomorrow, you're going to be staying at my place; I won't take no for an answer." _Tess said as she stood up and started walking to the door. _"Can you promise me that you'll smell better when I fetch you for dinner?"_

Catherine nodded slowly and wiped her eyes. _"I don't know what I'd do without you, Tess." _

"_You'd probably drive yourself crazy." _Tess laughed and smiled when she saw a small grin on her best friend's face. _"Now __**there's**__ that smile I've been waiting to see all night."_

"_You're the best, Tess." _Catherine grinned a little more. _"Just promise me something." _

"_Anything." _

"_Promise me that you'll try not to run if I ever attempt to drive you away. I don't think I could lose my best friend too." _Vincent noticed a tear fall from Catherine's cheek and desperately wanted to jump inside her apartment and tell her that JT was wrong about everything.

He saw Tess try to hold in her own tears as she said, _"Don't worry Cat; I'll always be around." _

Before anymore words were shared between the best friends, Tess disappeared and left Catherine by herself. He watched her as she stared at the floor and made no indication that she was planning on heading to the bathroom at the moment. _It was now or never_, he thought. He had to speak to her and if Tess was planning on making the night an all-nighter—for which he was grateful for her loyalty to Catherine, then he needed to act quickly.

He backed away from the window, not sure how to handle the situation. He wanted to appear inside her apartment but he didn't want to startle her. She has dealt with enough and she didn't need a heart attack to add to her problems. As he started to think about how to approach her, he heard her stand up from her bed and slip her feet into her slippers. Could that mean she didn't plan on getting into the bathtub quite yet?

He could have sworn he heard her walk towards the window, but when her feet stopped, he didn't know _what_ she was doing. Suddenly, he saw the window open. Perhaps she had opened it for him? Did she know he was there? He kept his eyes closed, and focused on the sounds of her room. He was trying to figure out if she was still standing in front of the window or if she had walked away from it.

"V-Vincent?" When he heard his name being softly uttered by the woman he had given his heart to long ago, his eyes fluttered open and he was staring directly into her own puffy eyes.

"Hey." He muttered quietly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked rather coldly. He deserved it.

"I won't be here long," he replied, "I just…I wanted to clarify some things." He clasped his hands together and stayed still, not wanting her to think he was imposing.

"You don't have to give me the third degree." Catherine stated as her lip began to quiver again. "JT said it all the other day."

"That's why I'm here." He still did not raise his voice. He wanted her to know he wasn't mad at her. "Before…before you walk away, we need to talk."

"What is there left to say?" she sound so broken; her voice was hoarse.

"JT…he was wrong." Vincent stated. "Everything he said…he was wrong. I'm not expecting anything after this conversation but please, hear me out."

Catherine pressed her lips together and sniffed rather loudly. A tear fell from her eye. "Please, Vincent; if you've come here to break my heart, I don't think I can take it. I've cried too much already and I don't know if I can handle any more heartache." Even when she was upset and broken, she was frank.

"Catherine," Vincent muttered as he bravely took her hand into his, "First thing's first: I remember everything—us, my life as a doctor, everything. I know I've screwed up big time and I don't expect to win your heart back, but I wanted you to know that I don't blame you for anything. I'm not mad at all; in fact, I'm grateful. If not for your courage to pull that trigger, I would have lost a lot more than blood that night. I don't know what all JT had told you, but please know that you're not the reason trouble keeps kicking my ass. That burden is mine to bear alone.

"And…don't ever think everyone is safer without you around. That's not true and you know it. You have saved more lives as a cop than you would if you had become a lawyer. People die, Catherine. Sometimes, it's out of our control; we can't save everybody. The important thing is that we try. And you did, with me. You tried to save me; save us when you fired that bullet. I was the one who screwed things up between us; not you."

"You almost died, Vincent…" Catherine replied as silent tears fell down her face. "And by my hand too."

"Hey," Vincent hushed her as he cupped her face, "I'm still here, aren't I? Catherine, I'm mostly healed now. I can barely feel the pain."

"That doesn't negate the fact that I had almost killed you." she shook her head. What could he do to make things right in the world?

"No. It doesn't." He replied honestly, but quickly added, "However, it proves to me what you're willing to do to salvage our relationship—or whatever's left of it." He had hoped Catherine would want to be in a relationship with him. But, after everything, he didn't know what she was thinking.

"Vincent, I have had a lot to think about these past couple of days while I was cooped up in my room while crying my eyes out. What JT had said—it hurt me a lot. He cut open old wounds—wounds that had taken me months, and some years, to forget. As I laid here crying, it made me realize just how much my life depended on you, Vincent. We…we had a toxic relationship after you came back to me, and yet, I still stayed by your side. I wanted to continue giving you chances because I just couldn't live my life without you." Vincent nodded but didn't say anything so she continued. "I don't…I don't want to live my life like that." She shook her head, "I cannot live my life where I am solely dependent on a guy in order to live. What if you had died, Vincent? I wouldn't know what to do with my own life if that had happened. If…If we are to find some way to come back together…I need time. I don't know how long, but I need to be able to define myself without you in my life.

"Because, if we ever got back together and someone had killed you—if not me—I don't know if I would be able to move on. That's why…that's why I think it's best to end things here…for now…until I can figure out who I am without you. I know it might be a lot to ask, but please, for both of our sakes, please give me some space."

Vincent nodded. "Of course." He could understand where she was coming from. He didn't like it, but he would respect her wishes; hell, he even knew she was lying partway but he chose to ignore it. "But, until then, I won't give up, Catherine. I will do whatever it takes to make things right after you consider seeing me again. I promise. Oh. And JT is definitely not off the hook for what he said to you. I'll be sure to that."

"It wouldn't matter," Catherine replied, "I'm not going back to the Guild again; not any time soon. I think it's best if I keep my distance in every way; I'm even going to take a sabbatical from work until I can figure things out. Who knows, I might even leave New York City for a while and visit my sister."

"Okay." Vincent muttered. He leaned his head against Catherine's and kissed her forehead softly. "Just know that if you need me, I'll be around." Without anything else to say, he turned away and jumped off of the fire escape and could feel his heart breaking as he heard her turn back to her bed and cry all over again.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine didn't want to say goodbye or take a break from their relationship. She lied to him when she told him she had been thinking about all of those things while she was crying. The fact is, everything she said was spontaneous; she hadn't thought anything through at all. She would never tell Vincent the truth but the reason she asked for a break was more because of what JT said than anything. JT told her she was toxic to Vincent—and she knew, deep down, that he was right. She couldn't be the reason for Vincent's death; it would destroy her in more ways than if she ended everything at that moment. The pain of letting him go hurts worse than the pain of JT's words, but she knew it was what she had to do.

"Cat, your sou—what in the world?!" Tess walked in and saw Catherine face down on her bed and heard her sobbing into her pillow. She rushed over to her best friend and sat down on the bed and pulled her into her arms. "You're going to get through this, you hear me? Trust me on this; Vincent isn't worth your tears."

Catherine shook her head and rubbed her eyes to rid of her tears but more continued to fall. "I'm okay…I'll be fine."

"No you're not; you're heartbroken, Cat." Tess replied sympathetically. "I hate to be the one saying this but I think…I think you should start seeing a therapist again."

Catherine ripped herself away from Tess with shock, "You think I need to see a shrink?!"

"Cat, look at you! You've been crying for days and the fact that Vincent is never going to be a part of your life anymore is destroying you! You need professional help because, the way I see it, you're never going to be able to pull yourself together if you keep crying like this. I know I said it wasn't healthy keeping it all in, but it isn't healthy letting everything out either." Tess said as Catherine stood to her feet and walked away from her bed.

"I have had more therapy in my life to last a lifetime! I'm not going to go back and sit on a plastic-covered couch while I try to convince the world that I've fallen in love with a beast!" She grabbed a scrunchie and pulled her unkempt hair back. "First of all, no one would believe me and second, it's hard to spill my heart out when I can't even tell someone—a normal someone—about half the things that go on in my life!"

"Then talk to me, Cat! I may not be a shrink but I've been by your side through everything!" Tess snapped. "If you won't seek a shrink, at least talk to me—your best friend." Tess got off of the bed and walked over to Catherine. "Look, I know you might want to hold off on True ConTESSions, so I'll respect that but I'm here if you want to talk, okay?"

Catherine nodded. "I just…I need to be alone right now."

"Okay, I'll be in Heather's room for the night. There's no way I'm leaving you until I know you're emotionally and mentally okay. Just…go and take a nice bath like we originally planned and then eat the soup I had taken the time to make for you. Then tomorrow, you and I are going to take the day off and we are going to have a lot of anti-guy fun! I think a nice spa day is in order. How does that sound?"

Catherine wiped her eyes and gave her friend and empty smile. "Sounds…fun."

"Okay, I'm going to shut up now and _you_, Miss Smelly, are going to take a bath. Now!" Tess said as she dragged Catherine into the bathroom. "And if you're not out in ten minutes, naked or not, I'm going to check in on you."

Catherine nodded and watched as her best friend disappeared from her bedroom. She would do what Tess had ordered but she didn't know how any of it would ever heal her broken heart. She might be done with Vincent, but that won't ever change the fact that she still loved him.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent stomped into the Gentlemen's Guild, and slammed his fists into the wall, making large dents into the bricks in the process. "JT, get your ass out here right now!"

It didn't take seconds for the professor to make an appearance. He hustled into the lounge and saw how angry and upset his best friend was. "I'm here, what is it?"

"Sit." Vincent commanded as he pointed to the couch. "Now."

"Okay! Okay!" JT threw his arms up in defense as he found his way to the couch. "I'm sorry, all right! I was drunk and pissed and I took everything out on Cat. I lied to you when I said I didn't remember the whole conversation; the fact is, I did, and I felt guilty for it. However, I still think it's best you two end things now."

"If it makes you any happier, we had a talk and we've decided to take a break. I don't know how long this break will be, but the moment she decides she's ready to let me back into her life, I'm not going to let _you_ dictate my choices. Let's be clear on something: I know you want what's best for me and that you want to continue protecting me, and that's fine. But when it comes to Catherine, you don't make any calls for me. What happens between us is based on our own decisions—not yours and not anyone else's. Understand?"

JT nodded. "How is she?"

"Not well. Whatever you've said to her, JT, it really messed her up. She had been crying since you told her off; thankfully, Tess was there when I arrived so she's in good hands." Vincent replied angrily.

"D-does Tess know what I said to Cat?"

"No. Catherine wouldn't sell you out." Vincent said as he clasped his hands together and leaned forward on the couch. "Which begs the question: what _did_ you say to her?"

JT sighed; he knew it was futile to try and lie to Vincent. "I might have said something along the lines of everything being her fault…and that everything always ended up being her fault."

"And?"

"And…" JT gulped, "I…I might have told her that _she_ was the reason people abandon her in her life—and that she almost killed off the one guy who could have possibly ever loved her." JT winced when he saw Vincent stand up, pick up one of the lamps and smashed it against the wall. "Dude, I'm sorry all right! I was drunk and I wasn't thinking straight!"

Vincent was pissed. In seconds, he grabbed JT by the collar and the professor gulped audibly when he saw Vincent's eyes beginning to glow. "You are going to fix this, JT. I tried the best I could to tell Catherine that everything you had said to her was wrong, but you were right earlier—you went too far." He threw JT against the sofa and walked away to try and calm himself down. Then, he spun around and ran his fingers through his hair as he said, "How could you say those things!?"

"I don't know…I was mad all right! I was angry at her for shooting at you and making me almost lose my best friend! I was drinking and I let my anger get the best of me!" JT shouted as he stood up and grabbed his coat. "I'll go to her place and apologize all right?!"

"No." Vincent said suddenly, causing JT to stop moving.

"Come again?"

"I said no." he replied. "Catherine has cried too much for too long, and I don't want you to make her cry again. She needs time away from both of us and I promised her I would give her as much space as she needs. However, the moment she tells me she's ready to start over, you're going to give her one fat-assed apology, JT. You owe her that much." Before JT could say anything to apologize any further, Vincent ran off into his room and slammed the door.

Vincent was furious—he knew JT was trying to look after him but he didn't have to take things so far as to tell Catherine off in the way that he did. JT should have kept his mouth shut, and let Catherine be. She was already torn up about what had happened and he had made everything infinitely worse. Vincent slammed his fists into the wall beside his bed, and once again, he dented the wall. However, he didn't care.

As he took off his shirt, he groaned in pain. He removed his bandage and could see his almost-healed wound bleeding again. His body had gone through too much under a short period of time, and if he didn't find a way to calm himself down, he was going to regret it later. Vincent redressed his wound on both his front and his back, and then slid back into bed. He didn't think he would be able to ever sleep again, but for Catherine, he needed to try.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

It had been three weeks since Vincent visited Catherine, and she was feeling a little bit better. Tess and Gabe forced her to take off work for the next few weeks and when Tess wasn't at work, she was with Catherine. "Hey, I know it's a bit sudden, but what do you say we take a vacation to Miami and see your sister? It's Christmas in a few weeks and you might not get another chance to see her until sometime next year. What do you say?" Tess said as she walked into Catherine's apartment. "Just say the word, and I can fetch us some tickets for the next flight to Miami."

"It's a nice gesture, Tess, but…" she looked towards her balcony, and then replied, "I don't know if it's such a good idea right now."

"Why not?"

Catherine shrugged. "I think…I think I should be here. My fath—I mean, former Agent Reynolds's trial is coming up soon, and I will need to prepare my statement." Catherine knew her father's trial wasn't for another month, but she just didn't want to go to Miami at the moment. Despite her efforts to forget about _him_, she couldn't and she wanted to stay as close as possible to _him_ in case Muirfield…or some other group tries to hunt him down. "I'm planning on going back to work too. I can't afford another week of absence."

"Cat, your father's trial is in January and you get paid when you're on leave. Stop trying to make excuses." Tess replied as she opened up the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

"I'm just…I'm not in the mood for travel. And if I do go to Miami, I couldn't ask you to waste your time spending it with me when you have family coming in town for Christmas. It isn't fair to you, Tess." Catherine stated as she looked at her best friend from the couch. "Maybe another time."

"Okay…you're going to hate me, but I knew you were going to say no, so I kinda already booked a flight for the both of us. You can pay me back later, but the plane leaves tomorrow at ten in the morning." Tess pressed her lips together and walked over to Catherine.

"Tess! Why did you do that?!" Catherine jumped off of her couch and threw her hands outward.

"Because, _you_ need to stop sulking around and take control of your life! The best way to do that is to get as far away from New York City and see what's out there in the world! Who knows, maybe while we're in Miami, you'll meet _the one_." Tess placed her hands on Catherine's shoulders and stuck out her bottom lip.

"I've already found _the one_, Tess. It's my fault that I pushed him away." Catherine said as she looked back over to the balcony.

"Okay, bad choice of words on my part, but pleeeeeease?! I desperately need a beastless vacation and what better way to do that than go to Miami with my best friend and visit her sister?! Besides, Heather already knows about it and she's thrilled that you're coming to see her." Tess smiled but Catherine didn't comply. "Pleeeeease?!"

Catherine sighed in defeat. "Fine." She frowned. "But I'm not going because I need a break from here; I'm going for my sister, and _only_ my sister."

"I'll fly to that!" Tess smirked. "All right, I'm already packed and ready to go; now my mission is to help you pack and keep your mind off of Vincent."

"Not helping." Catherine replied instantly.

"Whatever." Tess rolled her eyes and pushed Catherine towards her bedroom. "Let's get you packed so we can get out of this Godforsaken city."

"Okay, fine, but before we go, I have some things to do." Catherine said but Tess paid no attention to her. She just started pulling out clothes so Catherine shook her head with disdain and went to fetch her luggage bag.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine knew she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't go back to the Guild, but she had to see him again in case anything happened on her way to Miami. She never liked flying, and almost every time she _did_ fly somewhere, she would say goodbye to her love ones just in case; Vincent was not an exception. Instead of walking inside, she placed a note inside their mailbox and addressed it to Vincent, hoping he would see it in time.

Tess had already gone back home and promised to pick her up at 8 AM in the morning so Catherine had the whole night to herself when she came back home from delivering her message. She had everything she needed packed and there was one thing left to do—say goodbye to Vincent. She finished dinner and took a shower by 7 PM, and decided to read one of her favorite books until Vincent would show up. She knew he would—he always did no matter what was going on between them.

When the clock struck 9 PM, she heard a knock on her window and knew instantly who it was. She opened up her fire escape window, and without asking permission, he immediately slipped inside and closed the window shut. "I got your message; is everything all right?"

"Yeah." She replied, frozen in her tracks. "Everything's fine."

"Oh. Okay." He said awkwardly. He bit his lip and then asked, "Did you need something?"

"Not really…"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

The two stood in silence for several awkward minutes before Vincent finally asked, "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay…. I'm not…great, but I'm getting there." Catherine faked a smile and took a small step backwards.

"That's good…"

"I guess."

"No, really Catherine. It is."

"If you say so." Catherine answered passively.

"Uh…if you didn't need anything and nothing seems wrong, why am I here?" Vincent questioned as he raised his eyebrow. Suddenly, he noticed her luggage piled next to her bed. "I see you're going somewhere..."

"Yeah, Miami. Last minute plans made by Tess…She thinks it would be good for me." Catherine laughed, but Vincent knew it was not filled with joy.

"She's right, you know. A break…from all of this…would be good for you. Miami will help you get your mind off of a lot of things. Plus, you'd get to see your sister so that's good." Vincent answered honestly.

"I guess you're right."

"Yeah." Vincent smiled lightly, but frowned when he saw a tear fall from Catherine's eye. "I know I'm not in any place to butt into your business, Catherine, but every feeling I have ever felt for you…I still have." He licked his lips, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I'll be okay. It's just one week away from New York City…"

"Catherine, if you think you have to ask permission to go to Miam—"

"—No. That's not it." Catherine cut Vincent off. She paused and swallowed hard. "In truth? I'm not handling this—us—very well. I keep telling myself—and Tess—that I'm fine, but I'm not. I don't know if I will ever be all right. I keep trying to push you out of my mind, but I can't. And every time I look at the balcony or at the fire escape, it hurts because I'm surrounded by things that remind me of you."

"So…what? You want me to leave New York City? Will that make things easier?" Vincent wanted to do whatever he had to in order to see her smile again—even if that meant moving far away and never seeing her again.

"No, I couldn't ask that of you, Vincent. New York City is your home." She replied immediately as she unconsciously placed her hands on top of his forearms. "But I don't want to go to Miami…not any time soon."

"Why? Because of us?"

She nodded as more tears started to silently fall from her eyes, "I'm afraid that if I go to Miami, I may never want to come back to all of this pain that I am constantly feeling here." She paused and inhaled a deep breath, "As much as I keep telling myself I should move on," she shook her head, "I don't think I'm ready to let go of us yet."

"What are you saying?" he asked, confused. Is she trying to ask him back into her life? Or is she hinting something else.

She closed her eyes and tried to stop her tears from falling, "Vincent, if I go to Miami and find out that I love it there, I need…I need a good reason for me to come back here." She looked him in the eyes as her lip quivered. "I need to know if there can still be an _us_ in the future."

Vincent finally understood what she was saying. "I want there to be." He bravely brushed his fingers through her hair and felt his heart leap when she closed her eyes to his touch. "The question is: do you?"

She slowly nodded and inhaled another deep breath as she tried to stifle her sobs. He suddenly pulled her into his arms, and for the first time in months, she cried against his chest. He held her tightly against him and waited until she had nothing left to cry; he didn't expect her to want to pick things back up right away, but if anything, this was a start.

After several minutes of crying, she finally calmed down but didn't move away from his strong arms. She missed every moment of his touch and wasn't ready to release him yet. She felt him kiss the top of her head a few times but she paid no mind. To her dismay, Vincent finally removed his arms around her and she instantly lost his warmth. "You should get some sleep; I assume you have to get up early?"

Catherine nodded and dabbed her fingers underneath her eyes as she inhaled deeply. "Yeah, I do."

He cupped her face and muttered, "I'll be here when you get back."

"I still need time, Vincent. But, when I get back, do you think we could at least become friends again?" Catherine desperately needed hope in order to restore her relationship with Vincent. She didn't want to start where they had left off, but if they could rekindle their friendship, maybe, in the future, they could build their relationship back up to where it used to be several months ago.

"Of course." Vincent nodded. He kissed her forehead like he did several weeks before and muttered goodbye. Before he left, however, he took her hand in his and unclenched her tensed fingers. Quietly, he placed a folded note into her palm and closed her fingers around it. "In case you need me or anything…"

"Thank you." she nodded and tightened her fingers around the tiny parchment of paper. She didn't have to ask what he had placed in her hand; she already knew.

"Always." He whispered before opening the fire escape window and jumping down to the streets. She watched as he disappeared into the night and wondered if she had made the right decision in seeing him again.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**This intended to be a one-shot but because it is starting to become super long, I've decided to post this section now, and add to it tomorrow. It is a Christmas special so that's why I want to work on this one before I update **_**For Her**_**. **

**Please let me know what you think so far! :) I will try to get the ending done by tomorrow night, but if not, It will certainly be up by the 26****th****! :)**


	2. Part 2

**Keiko Fujiwara: And here is the second portion of the Christmas Special! :).**

* * *

**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the Christmas holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Two~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"I can't believe I made you drag me into this." Catherine muttered through her teeth as she glared at her best friend, Tess. "I thought you said it would be just _us girls_!"

"Relaaaax." Tess rolled her eyes. "I know what I said but I can't help it if your sister decides to hold a party on the third night of our vacation. Just…drink a martini and loosen up a bit. Come on! It'll be fun!"

Catherine folded her arms across her chest. "Absolutely not! The last time I drank a martini, I kissed Evan. Sorry, but I can't be reckless like that again." Catherine started backing away from the party but Tess grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Woah there, Miss Party-Pooper! You're going to enjoy this party with or without a martini. All right? I didn't drag you down here with me just so you could coop yourself up in a bedroom and avoid life. Besides, what better way to forget about your past relationship than to start a new one with someone else?"

"Because, Tess," Catherine shot a glare at her, "None of these guys are him."

"Newsflash, Cat; none of them _will ever_ be him." Tess reminded her. "Just promise me you'll have a good time." Tess clasped her hands together and stuck out her bottom lip.

"No way, I'm not falling for that again." Catherine said before she pulled her arm away from Tess and started walking back to her guest room. However, before she could make it to the hallway, some guy grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Haven't seen _you_ around before." The tall stranger with curly blond hair slurred as he pinned her against the wall. "New in town?"

"Sorry, but you're drunk and I'm not in the mood so you better take your hands off of me this instant before I get really pissed." Catherine's eyes darkened as she recalled a certain incident at a bar she and Tess once visited. Most guys were all the same, and she was right. No other guy would be like him—like Vincent.

"Come on," he smirked, "I just asked a question." He leaned closer to her where she could smell the strong alcohol on his breath.

"I warned you." Catherine snapped as she rammed her knee into the guy's crotch and then kicked him in the chest cavity which sent him flying into a couple people.

"Bitch!" he cursed and came at her, but she easily dodged his sluggish moves and punched him in the jaw. Several people murmured amongst each other as they backed away from the scene but continued to stare at Catherine.

"I told you not to mess with me." She stated, not realizing how many people were staring at her.

"Cat! What happened?!" she heard her sister ask as she made it through the crowd. "Oh my! Before Catherine could say anything to defend herself, Heather and Tess pulled her out of the crowd and dragged her to her guest room before the party automatically restarted again. "Why did you pick a fight with Kyle?"

"Seriously?" Catherine threw her hands back. "You thing _I _picked a fight with that scumbag?! He was trying to make a move on me!"

"Yeah, Cat." Tess sighed, "That's what guys tend to do when they're into you."

"That may be so, but he was drunk and I know his mind focused on a friendly conversation." Catherine replied as she walked further into her bedroom.

"And that would be a bad thing?" Heather raised her eyebrow. "Catherine Chandler, I know you still like that Vincent guy who was an ass to you about a year ago, but seriously; it's time to move on." Heather placed her hands on her hips, and frowned. "I've made a lot of friends here, Cat, and you're not making a very good impression on them."

"I know." Catherine sighed. "I'm sorry, Heather. I'm just not in the mood for a social gathering tonight. You and Tess can go back out and have some fun. I think I'll just hang back here and read a book or something."

"Cat," It was Tess's turn to speak, "Just because you put your relationship with Vincent on hold, it doesn't mean you should put your life on hold either. You should come out with us and have some fun; make a one-night stand out of it if you must."

"Yeah, Cat! Live a little!" Heather smiled.

"Sorry guys, but…I just…I'm not feeling it tonight." Catherine brushed her bangs back and smiled, "Go and have fun without me. Besides, after _that_ little fiasco, I don't think your friends, Heather, like me very much."

"Are you sure?" Heather asked, concerned for her sister. "I can kick Kyle out, you know."

"No, that's okay. Don't ruin his fun on my account." Catherine replied even though she knew she probably already destroyed Kyle's fun for the night. "I'll be fine. You two can tell me all about it in the morning, okay?"

Heather sighed but she knew her sister was too stubborn for her own good. "All right." Without another word, Heather and Tess left Catherine be, and Tess mentally promised to make sure Kyle stays twenty feet away from Catherine's bedroom. The last thing they need is a manslaughter offense on Catherine's hands.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine locked the door to her bedroom and sighed. She wondered if she would ever be able to find herself when she was away from New York City. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and slid her finger across the screen until the calendar popped up. Only four more days and then she and Tess would be on their way back to Manhattan. Perhaps her sister could make a trip to the Big Apple for the Christmas holiday.

She would have to ask her later when she wasn't busy hosting a party for friends.

She continued to stare at her phone and wondered if it would be a terrible idea to call up Vincent. She wanted to talk to someone and since her talking buddy was out having a good time, she needed a secondary source. She _could_ call Gabe, but he's been so busy with covering for Tess's and her cases that he probably wouldn't have time to socialize. She _could_ also call one of her high school girl friends but in all reality, she didn't really want to talk with them. They didn't know what was going on in her life, and she couldn't really have a true conversation with any of them. As her finger hovered over _his_ name, she gasped as her phone started to buzz.

It was Vincent.

She watched it buzz through four rings, wondering if she should answer it. On the last buzz, she closed her eyes and pressed the **talk** button before placing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"_Hey…"_

"Hi." So they were back to monosyllables now? "Is something up?"

"_Sort of." _He replied. _"Gabe's phone is in the shop so he asked me to tell you something concerning your father."_

"What is it?"

"_Catherine," _Vincent paused, _"I don't think it's the right thing to tell you over the phone." _

"Vincent, I'm several hundred miles away from New York; phone is the only way of communication right now." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I'm having a bad day."

"_Oh…Maybe I should call back later then." _

"No, Vincent. I'm okay, just tell me." Catherine rubbed her temple. She was starting to get a headache and the fact that Vincent had some uncomfortable news was making it come faster.

"_Are you alone?" _

"Yes."

She heard Vincent sigh over the phone. _"Look, there's no easy way to tell you this, but your father—Agent Reynolds—was found dead in his cell this afternoon."_

"W-what?" Catherine's eyes widened and her nose started to burn. She didn't really like the guy at the moment, but he was still family. "A-are you sure?"

"_Yeah…. I found out a few minutes ago…." _

"H-how?"

"_Bullet to the head." _Vincent replied. _"Gabe thinks he was killed by a hired assassin."_

Catherine blinked back her tears and pulled her knees to her chest. "Who?"

"_We don't know. But I promise, Catherine; I will find out." _Vincent's voice sounded angry—was he angry for her sake?

"No." Catherine replied, catching the beast off guard.

"_Come again?" _

"I said: no." Catherine reiterated herself. "Vincent, as far as we know, there are people out there who still want you dead. Whoever killed my father—I mean, Reynolds," she paused and inhaled a deep breath, "is probably still out there and might know of his involvement with Muirfield. That being said, his k-killer might still be waiting for you."

"_I can handle myself, Catherine." _

"I know," Catherine's lip began to quiver, "I know, but…please, whatever you do, don't pursue this. For me, Vincent, please don't pursue this." She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something ever happened to him while searching for her blood father's killer. "Promise?"

Vincent sighed. _"Yeah. I promise." _

"T-thanks." Catherine muttered into her phone as her eyes drifted to a portrait of Heather and her on the table next to her bed. When she realized Heather was all the family she had left in the world, she couldn't stop the tears falling down her face. They were silent, but painful. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall behind her and slowly breathed out sharp breaths to keep her from audibly sobbing.

"_Catherine? Are you going to be okay?" _

"Yeah," she said as she tried to convince herself more than trying to convince Vincent. "I'm fine."

"_Are you sure? You don't sound fine." _

"I will be, Vincent. Someday, I will be." Before she could hear his reply, she ended the call and slowly slid her phone from her ear to her chest. She clasped her hands over her phone and bowed her head over as grief began to sweep over her.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Tess," Heather frowned after everyone left her apartment, "I'm worried about Cat. She's never cried over a boy this much before. I mean, her relationship with Vincent ended a year ago! How can she still be grieving over one guy?!"

Tess sighed. Should she tell Heather part of the truth? Maybe she could bring some light on the situation? Tess pressed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest. "Don't hate Catherine, but her relationship with Vincent didn't end a year ago."

"What do you mean?" Heather asked innocently.

"Well, she pretended to break up with Vincent for your sake, but their relationship only became stronger. She gave her everything to him and he complied wholeheartedly. However, one night, Vincent disappeared…and didn't return for three months. When he came back, he was different and it put a toll on their relationship. She finally ended things with him a month ago, and she's been lifeless ever since." There! She said it! Tess waited for Heather to respond but the younger Chandler sister simply blinked her eyes as she processed the information. "Now would be a good time to say something."

"Are you saying she's been lying to me for almost a year now?!" Heather frowned and Tess mentally cursed. "How could she do that to me!"

"Don't worry, Heather. She did it for your own good. Trust me, she loved him and she couldn't _just_ break up with him when you asked her to. I eventually got to know him and he turned out to be a decent guy. Unfortunately, with him being in the WitPro system, it put a dent into their relationship." Tess partly lied.

"Wait, WitPro? As in Witness Protection? Is that why his name wasn't in the database?" Heather inquired as she looked at Tess sternly.

"Yeah."

"And is that why I found him about to snoop into my room and grab those photos?"

"Yeah…he was worried that someone would get to those pictures and find him. Anyway, I think we should go and check on Catherine; I'm worried for her too."

Heather nodded and the two walked to Catherine's guest room and heard strange noises. "Cat? Can we come in?" Heather asked but she didn't answer. However, the noises continued to persist.

"Cat, open the door!" Tess demanded but still, Catherine did not answer. Without asking permission, she kicked open the door and they found Catherine clumsily trying to pack her things.

"Cat! What on earth are you doing?!" Heather shouted as she raced to her sister. "And why are you crying?!" Catherine ignored Heather and continued to grab her things and stuff them back into her luggage bag. "Cat!"

Tess grabbed Catherine by the shoulders and forced her to stop moving. "Cat! What is wrong?!"

"Let me go!" Catherine demanded. "I need to get back to New York!"

"But you just got here!" Heather snapped and suddenly, Catherine broke down in tears. Tess pulled her into her arms and Heather placed her hand on her sister's arm.

"Cat, what happened this time?" Tess asked sympathetically. "Was it Vincent?"

Catherine shook her head. "No…, but…he called."

"What did he say?" Heather's eyes started to water. She hated seeing her tough, older sister so broken.

Catherine looked at Tess. "My father—Reynolds—he's dead."

"What?!" Tess and Heather responded simultaneously. "How?" Tess inquired.

"It doesn't matter…. I just need to get back there…I need to make sure myself!" Catherine tried to push her way through Tess and Heather's arms but she was too tired and exhausted from crying to do so.

"No." Tess replied. "No, Cat. If Vincent says your father is dead—he's dead. He wasn't a good thing in your life anyway so you need to dry your eyes and put a smile on your face."

"Tess, as horrible as he was, he was still my father, and I still had so much I wanted to ask him. Now, I won't even get that!" Catherine replied.

"All right, calm down, Catherine. You're not going to be able to get to New York City in this state." Tess said firmly as she continued to hug her. "Just…take a deep breath and ask yourself if flying up there is really worth it. I'm sure his funeral won't be for a few days, and once Gabe or Vincent finds that out, I'm sure they will tell you as soon as they do. If you feel so strongly that you need to go to his funeral, I'll escort you to New York City myself, but until then, just calm down. Okay?"

Catherine nodded quietly. "Okay."

"Heather," Tess looked at Catherine's sister, "Find the strongest drink you have; we're all going to need it tonight."

"Right!" Heather replied and raced out of the bedroom as Tess continued to console her best friend.

"It'll be okay, Catherine. I promise, things will get better." Tess muttered even though she was starting to lose hope in Catherine's happiness.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Did you tell her?" Vincent heard Gabe ask as he made his way into the Guild. "About Reynolds?"

"Yeah." Vincent replied.

"And how did she take it?"

"As well as she could." Vincent said as he walked past the DA and sat on the couch. "Honestly, I don't know why you made me tell her; you're phone wasn't in the shop. You could have easily told her, yourself."

"Yeah, I could have." Gabe shrugged, "But I'm sure she would have handled it better if she heard it from you rather than from me. Believe it or not, Vincent, she still loves you."

He nodded. "I know."

"She loves you, and you love her. What's the problem again?" JT interjected as he popped into the room. "I know I was an ass several weeks ago, and what I said severed your relationship, but seriously? You're going to stop everything you have with Catherine based on some things _I _said?!"

"It's more complicated than that." Vincent replied. "She asked for a break, not me."

"Finally, when one of you two actually listens to me, I'm still am the one who feels like a loser in the end." JT mumbled but Vincent heard him loud and clear. "Anyway, I forgot to mention something to you: Tess asked me to join her family for Christmas. You okay with that?"

"Yeah…go have fun." Vincent replied dryly. He was still mad at what JT had said to Catherine, but he's slowly learning to forgive him. "When?"

"Oh, well she and Cat are expected to get back on the thirteenth, so I think she said she wasn't planning on heading up to her dad's place until the twentieth. They live in the area so I told her I would meet her up there Christmas Eve and come back here for the night before heading back out in the morning." JT explained as he walked over to the bar and grabbed a beer.

"So Gabe," Vincent smirked, "Enlighten me; what are _you_ going to do for Christmas?"

"I'm going to Hawaii with a few of my friends back at the firm. They have family there and asked me to join their holiday celebration. Since I haven't been to Hawaii before, I naturally couldn't turn them down." Gabe smirked. "However, in the past, when I was a beast, I had no choice but to say no. This year, though, is obviously a turning point for me."

"Obviously." Vincent rolled his eyes. "Well, you two do whatever; I'm heading out for a bit." Vincent grabbed his coat and left the Gentlemen's Guild, leaving Gabe and JT alone in the process.

"Where is he going?" Gabe inquired, "It's not like he has any friends outside of this joint."

"He's probably going over to Catherine's…. He finds it easier to think over there." JT said as he drank a gulp of beer. "Besides, I think he goes there to make sure no one from the FBI has done anything with her place."

"I see…" Gabe's voice faded, wondering if it was a smart idea for Vincent to _break and enter_ Catherine's apartment without her consent.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent found his way to Catherine's apartment and crawled through the fire escape window. She always kept it unlocked for him—even during the worsts of their relationship. He closed her window, and lay down on her bed. Every night since she left for Miami, he had been coming here and making sure no one tries to break in. The best part about _his_ condition, he didn't need to turn on any lights in order to see anyone. When need be, he used his night vision to see into Catherine's apartment; it was the best way for people to think she was still away.

"Oh crap," he mumbled to himself as he sank into her bed, "I forgot to tell her when her father's funeral is…"

Without thinking, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. He pressed **talk** and waited for her to answer. Three rings sound off until he finally hears a hoarse hello. "Catherine?"

"_I'm here…"_ She replied quietly. _"Is there something else?" _He looked at her clock and noted that it was almost eleven at night in Miami. He should have waited to call.

"It's about your father's funeral…" he said quickly, "I forgot to tell you; it's planned for the eighteenth at noon; location: St. Paul's."

"_Is that all?" _It emotionally stung to hear her broken voice. If he had only waited for her to come home to tell her, he could have consoled her. Then again, if she had found out that he knew about it for a week and didn't tell her, she would have been very angry.

"No." he replied even though he had finished stating his purpose for the call.

"_What then?" _

He paused when he tried to think of something to say.

"_Vincent?" _

"How's Miami?" He asked out of the blue. He mentally cursed at himself, thinking that she didn't want to speak to him at the moment, but froze when he heard her somewhat laugh a little.

"_Horrible." _

"Oh?"

"_Yeah…. I like the colder climate better; warm temperature during the wintertime is just wrong." _She laughed slightly. _"How's the weather in New York?" _

"Cold and dry. Snow is expected to fall the day you get back, though." Vincent smiled to himself. "Have you gone to the beach yet?"

"_No."_ she replied. _"And I hope I never have to. You know me and water." _Catherine laughed a little more. _"What about you? Have you been…to the park lately?" _

"Nah…too many people around this time of year; until I get a handle on my anger-management problem…I don't think social functions are the best idea for me right now." Vincent chuckled slightly.

"_You and me both, it seems."_ This time, Catherine's laugh was happier and filled with a little bit of joy. _"My sister had a party tonight; I wasn't really in the mood to be social yet. However, I still attended for a short while. Then this jerk tried to hit on me, so I knocked him out cold after three hits to the balls, chest cavity and face." _

"Wow. I know it might be weird for me to say this, but he's lucky I wasn't there."

"_Yeah." _Vincent could tell she was smiling again. _"That would have made the party more enjoyable at least." _

"Possibly." Vincent smirked.

Before he could say anything else, Catherine spoke quietly into the phone, _"I've gotta go. My sister is calling for me." _

"Okay." Vincent nodded.

"_Thanks, Vincent. I needed that little chat." _Catherine said to him, causing him to smile even more.

"You're welcome. My mission here is done." He replied as he fake-saluted into the air. "Oh, and Catherine?"

"_Yes?" _

He paused for a second, wondering if it was all right to tell her what he wanted to say to her all along. "I…Be safe." He whispered into the phone after suddenly changing his mind. There would be a better time later.

"_I will. Bye." _She muttered softly into the phone before the line went dead. Vincent couldn't help but smile to himself. Perhaps there _is_ hope for them to pick up where they had left off.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**~A Few Days Later~**

"Are you sure you can't stay any longer?" Heather asked as Tess and Catherine loaded up the Taxi's trunk with their belongings. "I mean, Christmas _is_ a few weeks away. There's plenty of things to do in the South until then."

"Sorry, Heath," Catherine replied as she picked up her last bag, "I'm getting a little homesick, and there are things I need to take care of at home before Christmas anyway." She gave her sister a hug and patted her back. "I have a funeral I need to attend."

"About that…" Heather pulled back and frowned, "Why didn't you tell me that you found your birth father?" Heather tapped her foot on the ground and placed her hands on her hips. "I may live several hundreds of miles away, but there's this unique invention called the cell phone, you know?"

"You're right, Heather." Catherine smiled, "I should have told you; I guess it's just been so crazy back in New York that it completely slipped my mind. Forgive me?" Catherine lifted her eyebrows as she waited for her sister's reply.

"Oh all right! But the next time I screw up, you've gotta cut me some slack." Heather grinned and laughed.

"Done." Catherine said as she gave her sister another hug. "And remember, _you_ are traveling up to New York City the first chance you can get! Don't be a stranger, Heather."

Heather squeezed her older sister as tightly as she could, "Ditto."

Catherine released her sister and watched as Tess gave Heather a quick hug. The cabdriver closed the trunk and slipped into the car before Catherine and Tess finally made their way inside the vehicle. When the detective duo arrived at the airport, they were glad to be leaving for home. One week away from New York City was one week too long, and Tess was excited to go back to work. Catherine, not so much.

She still didn't know if she was ready to crawl out of her shell yet. "Are you sure you want to leave Miami, Cat? I mean, Heather is your only family now so it's only natural if you want to stay with her." Tess stated as they boarded their plane. "I don't mind going back alone."

"No, Tess; I'm okay. I need to go back home. Miami—it isn't really my thing; I like the cold weather—not the heat." Catherine replied as she took her seat. "Thanks for the support and everything but trust me, New York is the best place for me right now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Catherine half-smiled. "I am."

"All right then! NYC, here we come!" Tess grinned as she pulled out her phone to check the weather before the plane would take off. "Hmmm, it says we're in for a rough ride; the weather is going to be pretty severe."

"Well, maybe the storm will clear up by the time we reach New York. If not, I'm sure they would make an emergency landing if the storm is going to be bad." Catherine shrugged. She hoped to God that whatever is coming their way, it wouldn't be as bad as the weathermen are predicting. She always hated flying, but she detested flying even more when she was in the air during a horrible storm. "If we're going to crash, don't wake me up; I'd rather die peacefully than freaking my ass off."

"We won't crash." Tess rolled her eyes. "These pilots know what they're doing."

"You're right," Catherine replied, "I'm sure we'll be fine."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Frantically, Catherine searched her purse as she stood outside of her apartment building. It was late at night and the odds weren't working in her favor. She couldn't find her apartment keys anywhere. They weren't in her purse and they certainly were not in her bags. In fact, she can't even remember packing them after she took them out of her purse the other day to look for something else. "Great…I must have left them on the counter at Heather's place."

Knowing that she always leaves the fire escape window open, she sighed. "I guess it's to the stairs then." She _could_ go to the lobby and request for a spare but she didn't want to deal with the late-night lobby worker. She wasn't the best person in the world and Catherine couldn't handle Barbie drama so late at night. Quietly, she climbed the black, metal fire escape and eventually arrived to her apartment. Without making a sound, she slowly slid the window open and slipped into her dark room before closing it.

Too tired to change out of her clothes or unpack, she gently placed her luggage underneath the window and took off her shoes before jumping into her bed. The moment she hit the bed, she knew someone was in it. Half of her body was pressing against someone else's, and before she could scream or freak out, a hand clamped over her mouth. Instantly, she knew who was in her bed.

"Don't scream; it's just me." _His_ voice muttered into her ear. "I'm going to let go now, okay?"

She nodded. When he released her mouth, she immediately jumped out of her bed and turned on the light. "Vincent, what the hell?!"

"Sorry," he apologized as he got off of the bed, "When I found out your plane was going to be delayed, I decided to come over here and make sure the apartment was toasty for your return. It's brutal out there, and I didn't want you to return to a cold place." Vincent took a step backwards from her bed.

"That's sweet, honestly, but why were you in my bed?"

He blushed. "I uh…I wanted to wait up for you. You know, to make sure you were okay."

"Again, that's sweet, but you couldn't have waited up for me with the lights on?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. "Most normal people turn on the lights when they're inside an apartment."

"I know," he nodded, "But I have night vision so I figured I'd be fine. It didn't even occur to me that you would be entering your apartment through your fire escape. I thought you would enter from your front door."

"Yeah, about that…" Catherine pressed her lips together, "I sort of forgot my keys in Miami. I'm sure my sister has found them and will be shipping them back tomorrow, but I didn't want to deal with the Barbie tonight, so I used the fire escape."

For a few minutes, the two stood in silence and stared at each other awkwardly.

"I guess I should get going then." Vincent suddenly said as he pointed to the fire escape.

"You don't have to right away…" Catherine shook her head. She rocked back and forth on her toes as she figured out what to say next. "You waited this long, so you should at least stay a while."

"I don't want to impose…"

"You're not." She replied almost immediately, but didn't move from where she was standing. "How about some hot cocoa?"

"Sure." Vincent replied as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Catherine finally found the courage to leave her bedroom but immediately felt nervous again when he followed her into her apartment. "How _was_ your sister by the way?" Vincent asked, trying to make things less awkward between them.

"She's good. She's happy in Miami and she's made more friends down there than she's ever made here. I think…I think good things are in store for her." Catherine nodded as she walked over to her cabinet and pulled out the can of hot cocoa mix.

"What about you?" Vincent inquired.

"What about me?"

"Do you think good things are in store for you?" he asked as he walked over to the counter and leaned against it.

"I would like there to be." Catherine shrugged as she mindlessly made the hot chocolate drinks. "But, knowing where my life has been and the people I've lost, I'm not too sure." She poured hot water into two mugs and both of them watched as the chocolate mix dissolved into the liquid.

"I'm sure you'll eventually get there." Vincent replied as she handed him a mug.

"And you?" she raised her eyebrows and took a sip of her drink.

Vincent shrugged. "Knowing who I am and what I can do, I doubt good things will be in store for me. I've already had one really good thing in my life, and I lost it all in one night." As he drank down a gulp of hot cocoa, she shook her head.

"You don't know that."

"Don't I?"

"No. With time, I'm sure that _good thing_ will find its way back to you, Vincent." Catherine replied honestly. She placed her half-filled cup on the counter and walked around it to confront him. "Just be patient."

He took another sip and then nodded, "I'll always be patient for that one _good thing_ to come back to me. Always."

"That's good to hear." Catherine replied before yawning audibly. "Anyway, _thank you_ for stopping by and making sure my welcoming was welcomed, but I'm a little tired."

"Right." Vincent nodded. "That's my cue." Before she could tell him good night, he raced out of the apartment and left her in her cozy home, alone.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Gabe couldn't handle all of the _special_ cases at work by himself anymore so he had no choice but to force Tess back to work. He even offered her a bonus for coming back to the force earlier than planned. "What part of break do you not understand?!" Tess threw her hands up as she approached Gabe within his office. "You gave me until New Years, and yet, here I am, back at work and doing your crap."

"I thought you were _thrilled_ to come back; that's why I asked." Gabe replied as he handed her a bunch of new case files. "Weren't you the one begging to come back to work?"

"Yeah, I was, but," Tess lowered her voice, "I'm still worried about Cat. She's not really back to her old self yet. For someone who is trying to forget her ex, she's not doing a very good job of it. She talked to him _twice_ on the phone while we were in Miami! Twice!"

"I believe Vincent's calling Catherine was my fault; my phone was in the shop, Tess, so I asked him to help me out." Gabe shrugged. "Besides, Cat has been through a lot—did you expect her to be perky and cheerful by now?" Gabe walked back to his desk and decided to change the subject, "The files are everything that I had to deal with in your absence. Most of them revolve around Reynolds's death, but there are a few others that are ordinary cases."

"So _how _did he die?" Tess asked Gabe, hoping he would answer her.

"Sniper bullet. However, I believe Reynolds's killer was a hire…and because I think it's best for Catherine to stay away from this case as much as possible, I want you and JT to cover every detail. If you need to, recruit Vincent—he might serve as some use to you considering his abilities."

"JT? He's not a part of the force." Tess stated as she looked from the files up to Gabe. "You want me to work with him as if he was my partner?"

"That would be the idea." Gabe replied. "I want everything concerning Reynolds's death off of the books until we figure everything out. If there's a written copy of a report in the precinct, Reynolds's employer, whoever he or she is, will find a way to get their hands on it. That being said, whatever you do to write things down, write them one the most unobvious things you have—like napkins or Kleenexes. Do not write anything down on paper. Understand?" Gabe sat down in his chair and cracked his knuckles. "Oh, and if Cat asks you which case you're working on, just say homicide. That's all she needs to know."

Suddenly, Catherine stormed into Gabe's office and planted her fists on his desk before leaning towards him with anger. "A little birdie told me you were planning on investigating my father's death. Is that true?"

"Absolutely not." Gabe blinked in surprise. "Who gave you that idea?"

"Doesn't matter," Catherine spat. "Tell me, yes or no, are you investigating my father's case." Catherine wasn't going to take _no_ for an answer anymore. She knew what Gabe was up to and if he lies to her a second time, she would hand in her badge and her gun instantly. "Gabe, tell the truth."

"Fine, all right?! I am. Why?"

"Don't." Catherine said firmly. "Enough people have died as a result to Agent Reynolds's involvement with Muirfield. I know you might think I'm crazy, but let this one go."

"Cat, your father was murdered. Don't you want to find out who killed him?" Tess inquired as she stood up and walked to her best friend.

"No. On the large scale of things, it doesn't matter. My mom had spent well over ten years trying to escape Muirfield's grasp, and looked what happened. She got killed for it. My dad—Reynolds—was going to confess almost everything including his involvement with Muirfield—he's dead too. And so is everyone else who has tried to do _anything_ to bring Muirfield into the light. See a pattern? Muirfield destroys lives, and I'm tired of losing people I care about—Vincent, Tess, you and…JT," she hesitated at the last name, "If you or anyone else pursues this case, they're just asking for Muirfield to kill them off." Catherine furrowed her eyebrows and did not even blink.

"Like it or not, Catherine, if I _don't_ pursue this case, I could be disbarred. I already have too many unsolved cases—ones relating to Vincent—that have not been ignored by my superiors. If I throw this one out—an FBI Agent killed while in prison—_my _head will be on the judge's platter." Gabe said as he jabbed his finger against his desk. "I can't _afford_ to ignore this case."

"Fine." Catherine pressed her lips together, "If you're not going to pitch the case…" she dug her hands into her pocket and placed her badge on his desk and then her gun and holster. "Then I quit."

"Are you insane?!" Gabe threw his hands up, "You can't quit! We're in the middle of something big, Catherine! We're one more step closer until Muirfield is done forever!"

"Yeah, Cat," Tess placed her hand on Catherine's shoulder, "We can't take down Muirfield without you."

"Oh yeah?! Gabe, you keep saying we're one step closer, when in reality, we're falling three steps backwards each time!" Catherine shouted, "Oh! And if we _do_ take them down, what will happen next? Taking down the entire FBI?!" She placed her hands on her hips and continued, "Vincent was right—we should have never tried to take them down. And who's to say there isn't more out there? That Muirfield _isn't_ the only secret governmental group who knows about Vincent? Don't you see?! Even after Muirfield, the hunt for Vincent will never stop. If you continue with this case, Gabe, you're going to be bringing a war."

"They deserve to be put down." Gabe frowned. "I swore to myself, the day I left, that I was going to put an end to all of this. Investigating Reynolds's death is the key to do it, too." Gabe picked up Catherine's credentials and her gun and handed it back to her. "We need you in this, Cat."

Catherine inhaled deeply and shook her head. "No. I won't involve myself any further into this than I already have."

As she started to walk away, Gabe called after her, "If you continue your relationship with Vincent, you'll never be free of Muirfield."

Catherine whipped around angrily and pointed at Gabe, "You don't get to make that choice."

"Cat, don't do this." Tess touched her shoulder. "Quitting isn't worth it."

"Yeah…" Catherine nodded as she looked at Tess, "For me, it is." She turned back around and headed for the door.

"If you take one foot outside of my door, Catherine Chandler, you'll be done with the force." Gabe warned, causing Catherine to stop dead in her tracks.

She turned back around and said, "Then consider this as my resignation." With nothing left to say, Catherine walked out of Gabe's office for the last time. As much as she loved her job, she loved Vincent more—and even if they never get back together, she won't ever need to pursue something that would jeopardize his life again.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

It's been a week since Catherine's return from Miami, and she was already regretting quitting her job. She knew it was stupid to quit for one case, but she thought it would get Gabe's attention—to her dismay, it did not. She spent the last several days looking for work, but considering it was the holiday season, most places were full of workers.

Catherine sighed as she looked at her bills. They were higher than usual, but manageable—she hoped. She had a little bit of savings in her bank account created for drawbacks like these and she had _some_ money left over from her father's will that she could also use. "I just have to go to the bank and withdraw some money from my savings." During the months Vincent was gone, she had spent most of her father's will on resources to help her find him. She even followed a lead to Germany during the first month—JT thought he found a match for Vincent, but it was a false alarm. She even bought JT his computer system. Suddenly, she shook her thoughts away when she heard a knock on the door. She walked to her front door and opened it, "Yes?"

"Miss Chandler, you're late on your rent for this month. I need the money in twenty-four hours." Her landlord, Mr. Appleton, stated.

"Oh. Right." She scratched her head. "Has the price gone up since the last payment?" Catherine asked as she walked to her purse and pulled out her checkbook.

"Yes, by thirty dollars." Mr. Appleton replied.

"Thirty dollars?! That much?!"

"Indeed. The Christmas season is always pricier. Almost all of the tenants have decorated their home with Christmas lights and that being said, the electric bill has gone up quite a bit per person."

"Well, I can pay you the usual price right now, and then I can pay the thirty tomorrow after I go to the bank. How does that sound?" Catherine asked as she started writing out a check.

"It'll work…I'll make you a deal since you seem to be having some economic difficulties right now."

"How did you know?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. She ripped out the check and mentally cursed when she realized it was her last one. She would need to order another set soon.

"The whole apartment complex knows, dear." He replied as she handed him the check. "Anyway, since you are normally good on making your payments on time, I'll give you a few days before the electricity bill needs to be paid. If you can't pay it by Tuesday, the twenty-fourth, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut your electricity until you can pay it off. I hope you have friends who would be willing to let you stay with them; this winter is said to be a brutal one."

"Thanks, and I do. I shouldn't have a problem getting the money in by Tuesday." Catherine smiled. "Thanks for reminding me about the rent."

"No problem. I hope you find a job, Miss Chandler." He waved before heading to the next tenant who hadn't paid his or her rent yet.

"Me too…" Catherine muttered to herself. She closed her door and walked over to her kitchen counter to look at her bills once more. If she could go to the bank today and withdraw everything she needs for her bills, she could go to each of the stores the next day and pay them off. What else did she have to do anyway?

Catherine gathered her coat, purse and checkbook before locking her apartment door. Her keys finally arrived via mail a few days after she left Miami. Her sister even wrote a cutely annoying note along with it:

**Now you can't say anything about **_**me**_** losing my keys when you lose them across the country. :P**

**~Heather!**

When she arrived to the bank, she couldn't go in; there was a sign on the door saying it was closed for maintenance and wouldn't be open for another month. "What?! Closed?!" She exclaimed. "That can't be!" She pressed her hands against the glass as she read further down the sign_. "If you need to withdraw cash, please go to the ATM at the side of the building. Thank you!"_

Catherine rushed towards the ATM but there was a line with about twenty people. She sighed and looked at her watch. "There's nothing better to do." When it finally got to her turn, the ATM accepted her card and she pressed the necessary buttons to withdraw $300. Suddenly, a message popped up on the screen: **"Amount requested unavailable at this time****. ****Would you like to request a different amount?"**

"This cannot be happening!" she complained. All of her money was tied to this bank and there wasn't another credit union within walking distance. When she pressed "no," the ATM wouldn't give her back her card.

"That sucks," the person behind her said. "The ATM must have been out of energy so it decided to eat your card as a snack."

Catherine turned around and faced the stranger, "Look, I'm not having a good life right now so if you could just shut up and let me think that would be greatly appreciated." Catherine tapped her chin and walked in circles as she tried to figure out what to do. "People have had their cards eaten before so…"

"Lady, you're out of luck. The bank is closed for a month and so there's not going to be a technician around for weeks. The only thing you _can_ do is cancel your card and request a new one." The stranger stated.

"Great! Just what I need right now!" Catherine smacked her head and walked away from the ATM. If the bank was closed, it would mean there would be no one inside to help her. If that was the case, how could she be so sure the offices won't be closed too? Taking a deep breath, she decided to call the only person she knew who could help her out. She pulled out her phone and dialed JT's number. She hadn't spoken with him in a month or so but she figured, in this situation, she could forget about his hatefulness towards her.

Just as she was pulling out her phone, someone ran into her and knocked her down. "Watch where you're going!" Catherine shouted. When she looked at the person who bumped into her, he was wearing all black and had his face covered with a mask. Instantaneously, he bent down and grabbed her purse before running off with it. "HEY!" Catherine yelled as she quickly jumped to her feet and charged towards the thief. "STOP!"

She ran as fast as she could but when she had to stop running to avoid being hit by a car, she couldn't catch up to him. He was out of her sight, and her purse gone with him.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine had called JT seven times on her way home, and either his phone was dead or he's still ignoring her. She was trying to get ahold of him to help her cancel all of her cards, but no matter how many times she would phone him, he wasn't picking up. When she entered her apartment, she closed the door to her home, locked it, walked immediately to her bedroom, grabbed a pillow and released a frustrated scream.

Everything seemed to be working against her; her bills were due in a couple of days and she didn't have any money to pay them off. She couldn't go to another New York Credit Union and request money if she didn't have her license. It was futile to even _try_ to transfer any money into her account if she couldn't use her bank card to access it. She took a deep breath, and decided to call all of her card providers and tell them to cancel her cards. She pulled out a small notebook from one of her drawers and flipped through the pages until she found all of the information she needed in order to notify each company.

She had managed to get ahold of six of her card providers and cancel her cards, but for some reason, she couldn't get ahold of her bank provider. She kept calling and calling, but by the fifth time she called New York Credit Union, her phone disconnected and the only thing she heard was, _"We're sorry, but you're phone is no longer in use until your outstanding bills have been paid. You may pay your bill at your local At&t store or mail it in. At&t will accept credit, debit, cash or check at any store, but only check through mail. Thank you. Please press 9 for further assistance." _

"Damn!" she cursed and kicked the door of her refrigerator. She slammed her phone down onto the counter and paced in a circle as she raked her fingers through her hair and inhaled a deep breath. How could she be so behind on her bills? She was always so good at making sure they were paid on time. She fingered through her bill statements and found her phone bill. She looked at it and cursed—she was three payments behind.

Mentally freaking out, she decided to double check her other expenses too in case she had time to pay them later; unfortunately, sure enough, their deadlines were due within days. "I am mortally screwed." She muttered to herself as tears started to fall from her eyes. She had never been in debt before and didn't know how to fix her situation. "How could I let this happen?" she asked herself, unaware that someone was inside her apartment.

"Is everything all right?" Catherine jumped to the sound of Vincent's voice and quickly recovered before wiping the tears away from her eyes. "Seems like you're having a bad day." he deduced when she didn't look at him.

"More like the worst day of my life." She finally replied as she stacked all of her bills up and stuffed them in a drawer. The last thing she needed was Vincent learning of her financial problems. "I'm sorry, I'm just…you caught me at a bad time." Catherine inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Oh. Okay, I'll just…swing by later then," he replied as he turned around and headed for the balcony.

"Wait," Catherine called out to Vincent as she rushed over to him. He stopped walking and turned back around. "I'm sorry," she sighed as she pressed her lips together. She smiled a sad smile as she felt overwhelming tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Would she ever stop crying?

"Catherine…" he muttered her name and caressed her face, "What's going on?"

"It's…It's nothing." She shook her head. "I'm fine."

Vincent heard her heartbeat increase and noticed sweat trickling down the side of her face. "You're lying." His tone was direct, but it didn't sound angry.

"Never _could_ lie to you, could I?" she faked a smile. She walked away from him and sat down on her couch before folding her hands into her lap. She sat in silence for a few minutes before finally answering him. "I'm falling behind on my payments, and without my job, I don't think I can afford to pay them off in time. My bank is closed down for maintenance and the ATM ate my card today. Oh and I'm out of checks too. On top of that, my purse was stolen and I had to cancel all of my cards, but for some damn reason, I can't get ahold of my bank to cancel my bank card!" she paused and inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down. "Just a few minutes ago, I received a notice on my phone saying my line was cut because I have outstanding bills…and At&t isn't the only company I owe money too. A portion of my rent payment is late, and if I can't pay _that_ on time, I'll lose electricity." She closed her eyes and covered her mouth and her nose with her hands as she stared straightforward while her mind wrapped around her entire situation.

Vincent immediately sat beside her, "Hey…don't worry about it, Catherine. I can help you out." He was right to check in on her. He heard from Tess that Catherine had quit her job a week ago, and figured the reason she was s0 distant from everybody was because she was distressed from quitting her job. However, he didn't think things were _this_ bad for her.

He hated it when she was upset and distressed and wished the gods would just leave her alone for once. She's gone through enough already, and didn't need this financial crisis to add to her plate.

"No," Catherine shook her head, "I can't take money from you…from JT."

"You don't have to." Vincent replied, "Look, I have _quite _a bit of money saved up from my time as a doctor. I haven't used any of it because I was saving it for emergencies—like fleeing the country if need be—but you need it more. Besides, if JT and I haven't used it in eleven years, there's probably a good chance it won't be used ever. If it makes you feel any better, consider it as a loan—use what you need to pay off your expenses and get your credit back up, then when you can, you pay it off deadline free."

"Even if I accepted your offer, Vincent, where would even _get _your money? You have no bank accounts and the last time I was at your place, the vault was empty." Catherine looked up at him. "And…even if I _do_ borrow money from you, someone might want to know where I came up with the money so fast without work…I wouldn't be able to tell them where I got it from."

"Just say you got it from JT. He knows where I keep the money and if they ask, I'll make sure he can verify your claim." Vincent replied. "It's okay to ask for help when you need it…" He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. He wasn't trying to woo her or to gain her affection; he just wanted her to know he was there for her—even during their rough times. "You don't have to say yes, now, Catherine; you can think it over if you want to."

Instinctively, she leaned her head against his shoulder but didn't say anything. As much as she hated taking someone else's money, she couldn't afford to lose her good credit standing. A few minutes later, she finally mumbled, "Why are you so nice to me? I've caused so much hardship for you, yet you're still around…"

He bravely turned to look at her as he cupped her face and gently forced her to look at him. She had so much sorrow in her eyes. "It's because I've never stopped loving you, Catherine." There, he finally told her what he's wanted to say for several weeks. "…and…I can't stop thinking about you…and…like today, I just had this…this feeling that something was wrong. That's why I came here—something was up and I just felt like I needed to be here for you."

He wiped her tears away from her eyes and leaned her face into the palm of his hand. She closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead and then she placed her hand over his. When she opened up her eyes, she gazed into his brown irises and muttered, "I haven't stopped loving you either. As much as I've tried to, I can't." she closed her eyes and felt tears falling down her face and repeated herself, "I can't."

As he leaned his forehead against hers and brought his other hand to the opposite side of her face, her eyes fluttered open to look at him once more. He wiped away her tears again and whispered, "Then don't." Knowing that he might not have another chance to hold her in his arms again, he kissed her hard on the mouth and she willingly complied. Never had he kissed her so hungrily before—for weeks, he had craved her and finally—if for one moment only—he could show her how much he still loved her.

Mindlessly, Catherine Chandler wrapped her arms around the man she loved and continued to kiss him fiercely. As she leaned backwards against the pillow of her sofa, she pulled him along with her until their bodies were perfectly aligned—a familiar feeling neither lover ever wanted to forget.

Suddenly, Vincent pulled away and scooted to the furthest cushion away from Catherine, causing her to give him a look of confusion. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to force myself on you like that…." Vincent replied as he raked his hands through his hair.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "You don't have to apologize." She finally realized she _always_ had something good in her life. She stood up and walked a couple of steps until she was in front of him. She combed her fingers through his hair as he stared into her eyes. "Vincent," she caressed the side of his face, "I'm done with being done; I meant what I said: I still love you."

"Catherine," Vincent shook his head in denial, "I can't promise you a perfect fairytale. In fact, there's no guarantee that I won't hurt you again—or get captured again."

"Step by step, remember?" she reminded him of words he once said to her before he was taken by her father, "And besides, if you try to hurt me again, I'll shoot you again." He looked at her with fear and she laughed, "With a tranquilizer gun, of course."

Vincent chuckled for the first time in weeks. "Most people would label that as domestic violence."

"And you're not most people." Catherine smiled as she trapped him by sitting on his lap and wrapping her legs around his waist. Without another second to lose, she kissed him and kissed him and kissed him and kissed him until their lips were raw.

Alarmingly, Vincent pulled away again and his eyes started to glow.

"What now?" she asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Someone…no a group of people are making their way up here. And they're coming fast." He replied darkly. "They don't sound friendly either."

Seconds later, she heard someone banging on her door. In the back of her mind, she thought these people could be debt collectors, but when she heard _Gabe_'s voice, her stomach felt sick all of a sudden. "Catherine Chandler! Open up!"

"What does Gabe want so suddenly? I don't like his tone either." Vincent mumbled close to her.

"I don't know…, but considering he's with other people, you need to go!" Catherine stated as she started pushing him towards the balcony.

"What? I'm not leaving you; not when he's _this_ angry." Vincent replied. "Maybe he found something about your father's case."

"I know you're in there, Catherine Chandler! You have one minute to open up this door or I'll be forced to knock it down!" Gabe shouted even louder.

"Go, Vincent! I will handle Gabe. Just go! You can't be seen by those other people!" Catherine whispered loudly as she pushed him even more but noticed several cop cars surrounding the apartment. "Never mind, you need to hide. Now!"

"No!"

"Do it!"

"Fat chance!" Vincent argued.

"Please, Vincent! Hide! For me! Please! We don't know who else is with Gabe behind that door, and if there are cops surrounding this place, I can't afford for someone to find out about you!"

As Catherine started to push him towards her hallway, Gabe shouted, "YOU HAVE TWENTY SECONDS!"

"Go!" she pleaded, and he finally nodded. Not knowing what was going on, she pulled him downwards and kissed him once more. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you too." He replied quickly. Heeding her wish, Vincent immediately disappeared into her bedroom but he left the door open just in case.

Making sure there wasn't any evidence that Vincent was with her, she heard Gabe shout, "THREE!" As she made a move to open her door, her legs suddenly felt as heavy as lead. "TWO!" She walked a couple of steps but fear was holding her back. "ONE!" She didn't make it in time.

Her door was kicked open and several of her former colleagues filed into her apartment with their guns pointed at her. Gabe walked in and he was pissed—beyond pissed.

"On what grounds do you have to storm into my home?" Catherine demanded. Gabe said nothing. He simply walked towards her and as he tried to grab her wrist, she pulled it back and demanded him to answer her.

"Catherine Chandler," he said her name as if it tasted like poison, "You are under arrest."

"For what?" she backed away. He advanced her, but she dodged him and headed for her bedroom. Another officer grabbed her hair and pulled her backwards, causing her to shriek in pain. She fell to the ground and as she tried to get up, three more officers surrounded her and forced her down to the floor. "I demand to know why you're arresting me!"

They roughly turned her over and one of the officers pushed her head against the floor to limit her movements as the cuffed her hands behind her back. Her eyes locked with Vincent's, and as he made a silent notion that he was going to help her free, she ever so slightly shook her head no and mentally begged him not to make his presence known. He read her signals and took one step backwards but did not remove his eyes from hers.

Gabe blocked Catherine's view of Vincent by standing in front of her line of vision and he said, "Catherine Chandler, you are under arrest for the conspiracy of murder of Agent Robert Reynolds. You have the right to remain silent." Gabe motioned for the team to help her stand up. As they walked her out of her apartment, he continued, "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: Okay, so this fanfiction isn't turning out how I have imagined it but I love it even more! :) I've decided to add at least one or two chapters to this and promise that there *will* be a Christmas theme to this fic! **

**Let me know what you think!**


	3. Part 3

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**Before I start this fiction, I would like to encourage Beasties to keep their faith in the show! :) People are disappointed to how V & C are acting differently in this season, but face it: Vincent lost his memory; ergo, he will act like a different person. Catherine essentially lost the love of her life; therefore, she will act differently because only Vincent makes her who she is! She just hasn't realized it about the new Vincent yet. ^_^**

**Okay! I'm done! :)**

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**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the Christmas holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Always**

**~Part Three~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent stormed into The Gentlemen's Guild, wanting to rip Gabe's head off. The only reason he came to the guild first was because he needed time to think and to calm down. His budding relationship with Catherine would be ruined if he tried anything against Gabe—or any human for that matter. He knocked down and smashed one of the stools in front of the bar with his foot in a fit of rage, causing JT to run out of his bedroom and wonder what the hell is going on.

"Dude! What the heck?! Are you trying to destroy the place?!" JT threw his hands up as he rushed up to Vincent and blocked him from breaking anything else.

Vincent tried to go around the professor but whichever way Vincent moved, JT would imitate. "Get out of my way, JT."

"No." JT gulped. "You're pissed off and not a happy guy right now. You need to calm down before you go out and kill somebody! Remember what happened last time?! Yeah, I don't know about you, V, but I seriously don't want Cat to shoot you again. The next time might be fatal." JT folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "I almost lost you _once_, Vincent; I refuse to go through that again."

Vincent took a deep breath and raked his hands through his hair. He was fighting the demon inside of him, desperate to keep _it_ locked in. JT watched his best friend as his eyes turned to gold and changed back to brown and then back to gold again. Finally, the rage stopped, and Vincent inhaled a deep and released it exhaustively. "Gabe has Catherine."

"What? You mean like last time? As in he kidnapped her?" JT's jaw dropped. "I knew it! The beast never died!"

"Not what I meant." Vincent said as he took deep breaths to continue to control himself. "He arrested her."

"What?"

"You heard me, man. Gabe arrested Catherine." Vincent reiterated as he grabbed hold of the edge of the counter. "And when I get my hands on h—"

"Woah there, V!" JT cut Vincent off. "Before you go all Mr. Hyde on me, tell me one thing: why was she arrested?" JT still didn't move from his spot.

"Conspiracy of murder." Vincent answered as he felt his blood boiling with anger.

"Woah, what?! He's arresting her for trying to kill you?!" JT raised his eyebrows. He never really liked Gabe, but perhaps he was seeing the Defense Attorney in a new light.

"No." Vincent forced out, "for…for the murder of Reynolds." He gripped the edge tighter and can feel his claws surfacing. Part of him wanted to let the beast free, but the other part told him to hold it in as long as possible.

"Wh-what makes him think that? Is Cat even capable of conspiracy?! She has too much of a moral compass if you ask me. V, just take a deep breath; I know I haven't been the best of friends towards her lately, but I promise, I'll do all I can to figure out _who_ is actually responsible." JT took a step backwards and as he did so, he accidentally knocked over a wine bottle, causing it to shatter all over the floor behind the bar. "Shit! I just bought that wine!" At the sound of the glass hitting the floor, Vincent's mind remembered the feel of the bullet piercing his abdomen. Almost instantly, his beast submerged and the human side of him took control of the reigns again. "You okay man?"

"Yeah," Vincent sighed. "For now anyway." Vincent unclenched his fingers from the counter and noticed the tiny cracks his claws had created. "I'll fix that…"

"Don't bother; it adds character to this place." JT smirked. "Anyway, you go ahead and speak to Gabe, in an orderly way of course, and I'll go to the computer and see what I can dig up." JT started to head for his computer system, when Vincent grabbed his arm. "What?"

"While you're on your computer, look up Catherine's financials—there might be some sort of clue to why she might be framed…Maybe someone stole money from her account to pay off someone…. Or something. Also, I can't believe I'm saying this, but," he pulled out a folded bunch of papers and handed them to JT, "pay these off for her…. Don't worry about the costs; I'll pay you back once this whole thing blows over. I promised I would help Catherine out, so if you could do this for her, I would greatly appreciate it."

JT took the stack of bills and placed them under his arm. "After the things I've said to her? It's the least I could do. Don't worry about paying me back, V. Consider this as an apology to her. I'll pay for them; keep the money you've saved over the years for Phase E."

"Thanks, man." Vincent patted JT on the shoulder and started to leave as he said, darkly, "Gabe should have never pissed me off the day he kidnapped Catherine half a year ago. He's going to get what's coming to him."

"I don't care if you beat him to a pulp, V, but don't kill him. He may be a beast jerky, but he has resources that could be helpful…maybe you should consider giving him some good ole cognitive recalibration—that might do the trick." JT called out to him.

"Don't worry, JT," Vincent replied as he furrowed his eyebrows, "I've got this."

As Vincent disappeared into the dark streets of New York City, JT gulped. "That's what I'm worried about."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Gabe smirked at the evidence he had created, and was glad that everything was starting to point to Catherine Chandler as the mastermind behind Reynolds's assassination. "This is going to get interesting." he mumbled before picking up his case file and placed it under his arm as he made his way out of his office and to the interrogation room.

For the past two hours, Catherine had been contained within the interrogation room, and he was hoping, for the third time, she would be willing to confess.

"Gabe, you can't be serious about this!" Tess grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him from entering the interrogation room. "How is Cat responsible for planning her father's murder? It doesn't make sense!"

"You've seen the case file, Tess," Gabe reminded her, "I was shocked too, but after everything she's gone through, she had the means, motive and opportunity to arrange the whole thing. You can't deny the evidence."

"Seriously, Gabe?" Tess jabbed her finger into the Defense Attorney's chest and continued to block his path, "You're telling me, that after all Muirfield has put you through, you're going to believe a lousy sum of evidence over the word of a beloved friend?! Clearly she's being framed!"

"Who would frame her, Tess? No one, other than Agent Reynolds, knew of her involvement with Vincent Keller. Besides, Muirfield wouldn't risk their necks by framing a former cop that could lead to their final destruction. _That_ doesn't make sense—the evidence in my hands does. Now, could you get out of my way, please? I have an interrogation to attend."

"You're making a _big_ mistake, Gabriel Lowan. Cat isn't capable of hiring an assassin—she shot Vincent so he wouldn't kill her father. Do you really think she would shoot the love of her life if she was guilty?" Tess didn't budge.

"If anything, Tess, Cat, in many ways, is self-sufficient. She likes things done _her way_; Vincent killing Reynolds would get in the way of that—plus, she wouldn't want Vincent to get caught in the crossfire because she loved him—she wasn't going to let him go behind bars when she could find means to pay someone to kill Reynolds instead." Gabe replied. "Now, move aside—that's an order, detective."

"If you're going to interrogate Cat, I want in. There's no way you're going to question her without me present." Tess stated. "_Someone_ needs to be in the room to make sure you don't disrespect her rights."

"I'm sorry, Detective Vargas, but I cannot allow you inside the interrogation room. You are connected to Chandler on a personal level. I've got this covered." Gabe said as he pushed Tess aside and stormed into the interrogation room. He closed the door behind him and locked it before twisting the blinds shut. "Okay, Catherine, let's try this again."

Catherine said nothing.

"_Who _did you hire to kill your father?" Gabe asked as he slammed his fists on the metal table and stared at Catherine with distrust in his eyes.

Catherine didn't say a word, but her eyes spoke fire. As a former cop, she was aware of her rights and knew that if she said _anything _without a lawyer present, her words might be twisted and could be used against her. If there was anything that was going on in her head, it was anger and confusion. She was angry at Gabe for accusing her of such a heinous deed and confused because she didn't understand how _she_ was being accused in the first place. She knew she was innocent, and that she had not hired a single person to kill her father. However, according to certain evidence against her, Gabe believed _it_ over her own merit.

"Fine, I get it." Gabe said as he took a seat. "You were once a cop so you know how the system works. You don't have to say anything but know that I have looked through your financial records—it turns out you emptied your entire account the day you left for Miami and transferred every dime you own to a temporary account. That account was depleted the day of Reynolds's murder. We also tracked your cell records and found traces of you calling an unidentified number that same day. As well as the three days before. I've got IT working on encrypting the voice-masking you used to contact your father's killer—I guess you're more like your father than we thought."

Catherine scowled. If only she could punch him in the face for accusing her like that!

Gabe pushed a blank piece of paper and a pen her way, "If you write down your confession, Catherine Chandler, I'll be sure to put in a good word to the DA stand-in for this case. Who knows, _maybe_ you might get three years instead of five as well as a smaller fine. So, Catherine, what will it be?" Gabe leaned forward until he was an inch away from her. He was staring at her dead in the eyes, and she could tell he was willing to do anything to send her to jail. "Oh, and if you would be so kind, tell me where the HQ of Muirfield is as well."

Catherine refused to let her tears of betrayal fall from her eyes. How could Gabe think she had anything to do with Muirfield, let alone her own father's death? Sure, she didn't like the guy, but her whole reason for shooting Vincent several weeks ago was so she could _save_ her father and make him pay for his mistakes behind bars for life. There was one thing she could say at this point, "I want my lawyer."

"Fine. So be it." Gabe replied as he pulled himself upwards and picked up the case file. "But, before you consider on hiring one, you might want to remember that you have _no_ money left. It doesn't matter, the government will bestow one anyway, but based on my experience, they're pretty crappy at what they do." He was trying to provoke her to confess, but it wouldn't work. She had no reason to be provoked because she's being framed. Gabe turned his back to her and added, "You remember Wolansky, right? In a few minutes, he'll escort you to the city jail. Until you confess, Catherine, I'm afraid we have enough substantial evidence to keep you booked until a trial can decide your fate."

He left Catherine alone in the interrogation room, and headed for his office. He knew she wouldn't crack on her own. He's going to need a lot of collateral in order for Catherine Chandler to comply. In the beginning, Catherine, Tess and JT were right to distrust him. For the past year, Gabriel Lowan had been putting on one hell of a show—even Vincent, the 2.0 beast, couldn't see past his façade. Everything was slowly working in his favor.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Gabe hurried to his office so he wouldn't be bombarded by Tess again. He had a lot of plans to put in action and he couldn't do it with Tess Vargas standing over his shoulder. He locked his office door and closed his blinds to give him some privacy before tossing the case file on his desk. "Piece of cake." He muttered to himself as he walked over to his window to admire the view. For the past twenty years, he had been looking for Robert Reynolds, knowing _he_ was the last benefactor of Project Muirfield. Gabe had killed all of the others many years ago, but Reynolds was smart and became an enemy to be reckoned with. Gabe had to wait and draw him out because if he ever tried to seek him out, Reynolds would have been the victor.

Gabe shook his head away from his thoughts. He knew he was putting a genuine person behind bars, but also knew it was for the better. He obviously couldn't go down for hiring the killer with Catherine Chandler's money; he still had a score to settle with the remaining factions of Muirfield. He hoped Vincent would join him in his revenge—if he told the beast that agents of Muirfield were behind the framing of Catherine Chandler, Vincent Keller would join him in a heartbeat. There was no doubt about that.

He smirked as he gazed into his light reflection in the window. Suddenly, he saw a flash of golden eyes staring at him from behind. Before he could react, the beast clamped his hand over Gabe's mouth and muttered, "You have some explaining to do. Now, in three seconds, I am going to release your mouth and you better start talking; if you don't, I won't hesitate to bring you a world of pain. Are we clear?"

Gabe played innocent and nodded very quickly. Vincent removed his hand from Gabe's mouth, and said, "Talk. Now."

Gabe stretched his mouth out before asking, "What do you want me to say?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Gabe; you're up to something. Now, what the hell is going on? Why did you arrest Catherine?" Vincent wasn't asking for answers, he was demanding them. Gabe straightened out his suit and rolled his shoulders backwards before cracking his neck.

"I'm afraid I cannot answer your questions, Vincent." Gabe replied. "I am currently overseeing an ongoing investigation and it's illegal to share information outside of the persons handling the case. I assure you, Catherine's arrest was legitimate—we weren't trying to scheme something in order for you to get closer to Catherine, if that was what you were thinking."

"I wasn't." Vincent stated, "I could tell from Catherine's fast-beating heart that she knew nothing of what was going on or why your men slammed her to the ground to cuff her." Vincent's eyebrows furrowed. "If you don't tell me what you know, I promise you _will_ regret it."

"Is that a threat?" Gabe crossed his arms across his chest. "Be careful what you say within these walls, Vincent. You never know who might be listening in. This _is_ a precinct after all. All I _will_ say is that Catherine is being held because certain evidence points to her; that's all. If we find nothing definitive, we'll release her."

"Take off your shoes and socks." Vincent demanded.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I'm serious; remove your shoes and socks." Vincent wasn't playing any games. By the evil tone in his voice, Gabe didn't have to have beastly abilities to know Vincent was dead serious.

"If I must." Gabe shrugged and walked over to his chair. He took off one shoe at a time and then removed his socks. "I don't know what you're trying to get out of this charade, but if you think this will prove my innocence in the matter; then I might as well show you I have nothing to hide." Gabe placed his shoes and his socks on his desk and walked over to Vincent in his bare feet.

"Lift up your feet, one at a time." Vincent ordered.

"All right." Gabe leaned against his desk and picked up his left foot before switching with his right. "Have you had your fill yet or shall I remove the rest of my clothing too?"

Vincent gave him a look of disgust. "Just shut up."

"Are we done here? I'd like to get home to feed my cat, Whiskers." Gabe asked as he put his shoes back on.

"You don't have a cat."

"You're right, I don't; not a furry one anyway." Gabe said, causing Vincent to emit a low growl. "However, I'd still like to get home. I have a long day tomorrow, and with Christmas under a week away, I have some gifts to wrap tonight so I can send them out to my best of friends." Gabe walked over to his coat hanger and slipped on his coat, ignoring the glare Vincent was giving him. "You already know my answer, Vincent. There's nothing more I can do to help you. I trust you know a concealed way out?"

Vincent walked up to him and stared Gabe straight into the eyes, "You're up to something, Lowan; I don't know what it is but I promise, I _will_ figure it out." Before Gabriel Lowan had a chance to respond, Vincent was gone within a blink of an eye.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine leaned against the cemented wall of her cell and stared out of the window. She was lucky enough that Wolansky put her in a single cell, because if she was going to share a jail cell with someone she once put behind bars, her life would have really sucked. The air was cold and dry, and there wasn't really anything she could do to keep herself warm, other than think of warm things like the sun. As a cool draft of wind blew into her cell, she pulled her feet to her chest and crossed her arms to keep herself as warm as possible.

"Cat," she suddenly heard her best friend call out her name. "How are you holding up?"

"You know; I never really believed in karma, but after everything that has happened in my life, I'm starting to think that it really exists…." Catherine replied when she looked up at her former partner. "There's no out for me, is there."

"Don't say that, bud." Tess said as she bent down and slipped a few blankets through the bars. "Here, I brought these for you. The heater in this place is broken so it's going to get pretty cold tonight."

"Thanks." Catherine formed a small smile as she wrapped the blankets around her.

"No problem." Tess slid her hand through the bars and touched her friend's shoulder. "I promise I will do everything on my part to get you out of here, Cat. JT called me and told me he's doing everything he can—geek-wise—to help too. He also told me Vincent went to speak with Gabe to see if he could learn if Gabe is hiding anything other than the known factors. I haven't heard from JT yet, so I assume Vincent is still playing I Spy."

"Thanks…but you guys don't have to do this for me…."

"Cat, shut up; we're doing this because we care for you—and we all know you're innocent. Now, I'd like to introduce you to someone." Tess said before motioning for this _someone_ to walk forward. "This is Therese Walker—she's a good friend of mine as well as my lawyer, and she's agreed to help you with your case if you'll let her."

Catherine looked up at her friend with hope. "Really?"

"Yes," Therese, a woman with curly, dark brown hair and purple glasses, smiled. "I knew your father, Tom, Miss Chandler. He was a great mentor and I'd be honored to defend you in court." Therese pushed up her glasses and bent down to meet Catherine's eye level.

"I have nothing to pay you with." Catherine replied with dashed hopes.

"Nonsense," Therese flicked her wrist downwards, "Consider your father's generosity as payment. He really looked out for me as his intern several years ago. Your father's kindness is more than enough payment."

"I can't ask you to work for free; that isn't fair to you." Catherine shook her head.

"Cat, just shut up and let the woman do her job. She's offering her skill for free; take it." Tess advised. "If you don't want to take her offer for yourself, consider taking it for Vincent. You can't be with him if you're stuck behind bars." Tess winked.

Catherine raked her fingers threw her hair and sighed in defeat. "All right."

"Okay, sounds great! I had a feeling you'd consent, so I already arranged for us to have a meeting tomorrow at 9 AM to go over details." Therese stated and hopped to her feet. "I hate to leave you two here, but I have to get home to make sure the babysitter didn't burn down my house—or end up killing my kids."

"Do what you gotta do, Therese." Tess smiled and waved as the lawyer walked away. Tess turned back to Catherine and leaned against the bars, "Will you be okay?"

Catherine nodded. "I've gone through worse things."

"Yeah, you have." Tess's eyes saddened as she acknowledged her former partner's statement as true. "I'll see what I can do about getting Vincent to sneak in for a while. I'm sure he wants to see you."

"Tess," Catherine pressed her lips together before relaying her thoughts, "I still love him."

"I know," Tess smiled sympathetically. "And he still loves you."

Catherine nodded as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them before a tear slid down her cheek. She breathed in heavily and released before cupping her nose and mouth with both her hands to stifle her sobs.

"Hey," Tess couldn't stop herself from crying either, "you'll get out of here, Cat. I promise. _We _will find the perpetrator, all right? All right?" Tess squeezed Catherine's shoulder, but Catherine couldn't stop her crying.

"I don't get it, Tess!"

"What," Tess asked softly and didn't remove her hand from Catherine's shoulder.

"Every time…" Catherine removed her hands from her mouth so Tess could understand her, "Every time something _good_ happens in my life, I get punished! I go to law school—my mom gets killed. I meet Vincent and fall in love with him—he gets captured and taken away from me. I find him—he has lost his memory. He slowly starts to remember me and come back to me—I shoot him and we have a falling out. We finally get back together—I get arrested. It doesn't seem to _matter_ what I do in my life, Tess! I'm always falling ten steps backwards no matter _what_ I do!" Catherine inhaled a deep breath and let it out. She leaned over and buried her face into her hands before continuing. "Will I ever get a break?! Will I?"

"We all fall down, Cat; it's just a fact of life." Tess said as she started to rub Catherine's back. She sniffed and felt tears falling down her face too. "It's just a matter of who is there to help us up. Yes, all of those bad things have happened to you, but you have to remember that you've had friends to help you through everything. Your mother did get killed, but Vincent saved you that night. That's a good thing, right? And, even though Vincent got captured, he came back. Granted, he was different and he had lost his memory, but he slowly came back into your life—another good thing to remember. And now? We will get you out of here, and then you and Vincent can finally be together again. You two may have to leave New York City, but you'll be together." Catherine looked at Tess as she continued, "Don't give up on us, Cat. I swear, we won't ever give up on you."

Catherine sniffed quietly and nodded as she wiped her fingers underneath her eyes. "Thank you, Tess. Thank you."

"I have to get going, Cat, but is there anything you would like me to do?"

"Yeah," Catherine replied, "Whatever happens, don't tell Heather. I don't want her involved in this in anyway. She deserves to think I'm living happily in New York City."

"My lips are sealed." Tess smiled as she stood up. "Let me know if anyone gives you a problem, all right?"

"I will." Catherine replied as she stood up too and walked to the little cot at the corner of her cell. As she watched her friend leave, she sat down on the squeaky bed and wrapped herself within the blankets Tess had brought. It was going to be a long and cold night, and she knew she was never going to get any sleep.

As she tried to make herself comfortable in her cot, she heard a whoosh of wind blow through the prison corridor. She recognized that sound anywhere. Immediately, she shot out of her bed and raced to the door of her cell. In seconds, _he_ was standing in front of her.

"What're you doing here!?" Catherine whispered as her heart began to thump loudly. "Someone could see you?!" She wrapped her fingers around two bars and looked into _his_ eyes—a sight she had been longing to see for hours.

"You're cell is the last one in this corridor," Vincent muttered softly, "and most of the jail cells are empty anyway; this place is simply a checkpoint before all of the nasty's go to Riker's." He clamped his hands over hers and added, "I promise I won't let that happen to you, Catherine."

"What do you intend to do?" she asked as she savored his touch.

"Track the sniper." Vincent replied blankly. "I know you told me not to pursue this case, but considering what's happened, I can't sit by when I know I can do something about it. If I can track the sniper, and find him, I could persuade him to tell me who hired him. That should give us an idea of who is framing you." He slipped his right arm through the bars and caressed her cheek.

"What if it's a dead lead?" Catherine asked as she leaned into his palm.

"I'll start over. There's bound to be _something_, right? We'll figure this out, okay?" Vincent laced his free hand with hers and pulled her fingers to his lips to kiss them.

"I don't know, Vincent." Catherine's lip quivered. "I don't know if you can get me out of this one, this time. As wrong as the evidence is against me, I just don't know if—"

"Hey," Vincent hushed her, "Don't forget who I am…"

Catherine stood on her tippy toes to look Vincent in the eye, "No. I don't want you to break me out—if you do, Gabe is going to know it was you, Vincent…and the NYPD will think it was me…."

"I've thought this through, Catherine," Vincent whispered, "Even if Gabe _does_ know it was me who broke you out, he can't tell anyone. I'm officially dead and no one would believe him that a beast came to your rescue anyway. As for you, well, I hate to say this, but you might have to pull a Vincent Keller in order for you to escape, clean of charge."

"What are you saying?" she raised her eyebrow. "Are you telling me I should die?"

"Not literally, Catherine," he smirked, "We just have to think of something that will make everyone _think_ you're dead—that's all. Like I said, that option is only there as a last resort. We're going to try and get you freed the legal way, all right?"

"Okay." Catherine nodded. "By the way, Vincent, if it makes you feel any better, I would die a thousand fake-deaths if it means I can be with you."

Vincent leaned against the bars and slid his arms around her waist to hold her against him. "I know you would." Vincent whispered before pulling her in for a deep kiss. When he heard footsteps walking towards the corridor, he pulled away and as his nose nuzzled against her cheek, he mumbled, "Someone's coming…I'll be back tomorrow night, Catherine."

"Okay, I love you, Vincent." Catherine muttered softly.

"I love you too, Catherine." Vincent uttered before kissing her again. Catherine closed her eyes, and the second she opened them, he was gone—and so was the warmth. When she heard voices sounding down the hallway, she immediately backed up and wrapped her covers around her before lying back down in the cot.

Until the voices and footsteps disappeared, she laid completely still and silent. When they left, she couldn't help but think about Vincent's proposal if they couldn't free her by the books. Would she _die _for Vincent in order to be with him? In a heartbeat—she would run away with them and they could finally find a home of their own—a place where they wouldn't have to deal with Muirfield or anything for that matter. They could just be together and be in love. Catherine smiled at that idea and her newfound happiness finally gave her the peace of mind to fall asleep.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine woke up to the creaking sound of her jail cell opening. She sat up in her cot and rubbed her eyes as she saw a male security guard standing a foot in front of her. "Get up; time for breakfast." Catherine inhaled a deep breath and nodded as she stood up and stretched her tiny body. "Look, lady, I don't have all day; get your tiny ass out of this cell and start heading to the mess hall."

"How crass." Catherine muttered and exited her jail cell only to be escorted to the mess hall. She was dreading her first breakfast at the city jail—she knew there were still some criminals waiting for their trial that she had thrown in jail over the year. She was sure one or all of them were going to try something during her stay. It would definitely bring a little bit of poetic justice to the place.

After she had gotten her food, she sat at the furthest table away from the criminals—perhaps no one would recognize her. She quickly ate her food and asked the security guard if she could return to her cell, but he told her she had to wait until everyone else was done. So, Catherine walked back to her spot and placed her head within her arms to try and hide her identity.

"Hey," some woman called in her direction, "you're in my spot." Catherine pretended to not notice her and keep to herself. "Hey, bitch! I said: you're in my spot!"

Catherine looked up to the woman who called her a 'bitch,' and widened her eyes in horror. "L-Lois Whitworth!"

"I'm flattered." She smirked. "You remembered my name," the blonde walked closer to her and immediately punched Catherine in the eye before she could block Lois's attack. "That's for ruining my life!" She aimed for another punch but Catherine was prepared. Catherine caught Lois's fist and twisted it around before kicking her in the stomach.

"Hey!" one of the security guards shouted, "Knock it off over there!"

Lois, however, ignored the guard's warning and aimed another punch at Catherine. Catherine slammed the base of her palm into Lois's chin, and caused her to stumble backwards. More and more female prisoners surrounded Catherine—all of which Catherine and Tess arrested well within the year. "Prison sure can change people, huh…" Catherine mumbled as she tried to make light of the situation. She looked at the guards, but they had vanished! _Damn, they're probably upstairs eating donuts and watching how this all plays out._

"Get her!" Lindsey Sheridan—a woman Catherine arrested due to illegal drug use as well as 1st degree murder—shouted as she pointed at Catherine. At once, all of the women charged for Catherine. Catherine certainly held her own and wouldn't go down without a fight. If one punched her, she punched harder. However, one of the women yanked her hair violently and pulled her out of her seat. Even as more and more punches came her way, she didn't stop throwing punches of her own.

"ENOUGH!" a security guard yelled. "THE NEXT PERSON WHO THROWS A PUNCH WILL BE SHOT!" Everyone stopped attacking Catherine and looked at the head of the prison. Several security guards ran in and pulled the women back as the head made his way to Catherine. She felt bloodied and bruised, but was also proud for holding her own. Each woman who attacked her did not attack freely. She was sure she broke a few of their bones when defending herself. She was also sure that she had also broken a few bones of her own, if not cracked them. Catherine finally made eye contact with the supervisor and froze. She knew him—he was a friend of her father's—Ted Wilson.

"What on earth are _you_ doing in a place like this, Miss Chandler?" he asked as he pulled her out of the mess hall. She winced in pain, sure a rib or two was broken. He handed her his handkerchief and she pressed it against her nose.

"I was framed," Catherine replied, "And the DA believes in the spontaneous evidence he had against me over my own word."

"And you're sure you're innocent?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes; I would never hire someone to kill off my biological father—no matter how much I had disliked him." She moved slowly as she felt several bruises forming on her body—one day in prison, and she was sure it was going to be the death of her.

"We'll talk about this later; right now, you need to see the facility's nurse. They gave you quite the beating. I'll have to see if you can eat at a different time than them—it's the least I can do; you're father, Tom, was a good man. May he rest in peace."

"Thanks." Catherine nodded. Ted led her to the nurse to be treated. When she was done, she had very few bandages on her body, but that didn't erase the fact that she had large black welts all over her arms, legs, neck and face. She had one black eye and her bottom lip and eyebrow were busted.

Ted came back and said, "You have an appointment with your lawyer in a few minutes."

"Thanks…where do I go?" Catherine asked.

"I'll lead you." Ted replied and escorted her to the visiting room. Catherine saw Therese sitting in a seat beyond a thick pane of glass with a black telephone up to her ear. She waved, but frowned when she saw Catherine's physical appearance. Catherine slowly sat down in the appointed seat and picked up the phone before placing it against her ear.

"Hey Therese."

"Catherine, what happened?!" Therese asked as she pointed to Catherine's shiner.

"Nothing really…" Catherine shrugged. "I just got thrown a little reunion party back in the mess hall." She tried to lighten up the situation. "Anyway, enough about _this_, what do you need to know?"

"Everything." Therese replied, "I did some digging and found out Agent Reynolds is your biological father, and you were his arresting officer."

"That is correct." Catherine nodded.

"Like I said, tell me everything; it's better to get it all out now than to disclose during your hearing. Don't lie to me either or try to cover up any information. I'm good at what I do, but I can't help you unless you're honest. All right? Help me help you." Therese smiled. "So, do you still want to do this?"

"Yes." Catherine replied instantly. Telling Therese everything shouldn't be that big of a deal—she would just have to lie about 50% of her life to her. She's done it before to Tess, Therese shouldn't be too hard to lie to, should she?

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent hated not being able to go to the city jail until nightfall. Catherine wasn't in a very great mindset the night before, and with one night spent in a prison, he feared where her mind might be when he visits again. All morning, he had been tracking Reynolds's assassin. To his benefit, the assassin walked passed a thorn bush as he made a quick getaway so Vincent was able to get a whiff of the sniper's blood. He had traced the smell of the sniper's blood all the way to the subway tunnels, and then, it just vanished.

"Damn." Vincent cursed. In the back of his mind, he could see the sniper throwing his gun into the train tracks before hitching a ride on the train. Quickly, before anyone could see him, he jumped down into the tracks and started scanning for remnants of the gun. If he could find any part with a serial number, JT might be able to identify the owner.

"Bingo…" he muttered under his breath when he noticed black broken gun parts scattered about fifteen feet in front of him. He stayed close to the wall so no one would think he was on some kind of suicidal mission and quickly made his way over to the remnants. He picked up what seemed to be part of the telescope and smirked. "This may be easier than I originally thought."

He climbed back onto the platform, grateful that no one noticed him and ran out of the station and headed for the guild to give JT the serial number.

When he arrived, Tess was hovering over JT's shoulder as he was working on decrypting some sort of audio feed. "Did you find anything?"

"Sort of…Tess removed Catherine's SD card from her phone and brought it her; we found vocal recordings of calls sent out by Cat's phone but her voice has been masked." JT explained. "However, something bugs me about this…"

"What?" Tess and Vincent ask together.

"Well,while you were in the bathroom, Tess, I traced this call to the nearest signal tower in the area of its placement and it boggles me. The phone records state that the last call was taken place around 7:42 PM, Tuesday the 10th. The nearest cell tower to connect with the signal is in New York City; however, we all know Catherine _and_ her cell phone were both in Miami when the call was placed. It's impossible for her to be in two places at once; my theory: someone synced an ordinary phone with hers and copied all of her information. Essentially, that synced phone would receive every phone call as Catherine's but it could also send out its own calls too without ever going back to Catherine's phone." JT stated.

"So how did she get _this_ recording in her SD card if the calls did not connect with her own phone?" Tess asked.

"Someone switched them," Vincent responded.

"Who would do that, though?" JT asked.

"I don't know…but it's someone who had access to her phone at any time since she had gotten it. Then, after she returned from Miami, he or she had to have access then, too, in order to switch the memory cards." Vincent said.

"But Cat has only seen Vincent, me and Gabe the last several weeks." Tess replied, "Unless we're missing something…."

"Well, what if the SD cards were switched _after_ she was in custody?" JT suggested. "You know, when her phone was confiscated?"

"That's a possibility, but we can't chance it on a maybe." Vincent replied. "If we're wrong in anything, it could cost Catherine jail time."

"Good point." JT said. "Speaking of which, what the hell do you have in your hand, V?"

"Oh, this is what's left of the sniper's gun. I found it in the subway tracks—it was thrown in front of a train to destroy evidence." Vincent claimed as he handed JT the telescope. "It has a serial number on it."

"Now _that's_ something I can work with." JT grinned as he took the telescope out of Vincent's hands. "Once I figure out who purchased this baby, Tess and I can hunt down the owner. You, Vincent, stay here until nightfall. Then, go see Catherine if you must."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Vincent nodded before disappearing into his bedroom. He couldn't track without any leads and he desperately wanted to see Catherine at the moment. Knowing it was going to be at least six hours until he could see her again, he walked over to his bed, lay down and decided to sleep the hours away.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: Wow…a lot happened, that's for sure. I never really liked Gabe's character since the beginning of his creation so, in this fiction, I have made him the villain. **

**Tell if what you like / don't like! Let me know if you liked this chapter! More to come! Like two more chapters. **

**Good night!**


	4. Part 4

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**Before I start this fiction, I would like to remind Beasties that just because a synopsis or a preview shows something, it doesn't mean the episode is doomed. Remember, it's what we **_**don't**_ **see yet that will make 209 AWSOME! Source says VinCat fans will love episode so that indicates that **_**something**_** VinCat happens. **

**Besides, I think Catherine owes it to herself to have a break from Vincent. It's what will make the revival of their relationship more perfect! :)**

**Okay! I'm done! :)**

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**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the Christmas holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Four~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent opened his eyes and noticed that the sun had fallen beneath the earth, and that his room had filled with darkness. He turned over and looked at his clock: 12:42 AM. _SHIT!_ Vincent shot out of bed and shoved his feet into his boots before grabbing his jacket. He raced out of his bedroom, and noticed JT was still at his computer. "I'm heading out—don't know when I'll be back though."

"Vincent," JT muttered as he motioned for his best friend to come towards him. "There's something you've gotta know."

"What?" Vincent asked and walked over to JT. "Did you find something?"

"Yeah, but it isn't good news." JT gulped. "When I was looking at Cat's financial records, something weird caught my eye."

"Go on."

"Well, I don't know if you already know this, but Cat's account, savings and checking, were emptied the day of her father's assassination. She had about a combined total of $25,000 which was transferred into a temporary account. My guess? It was the sniper's account." JT paused to see how his friend was doing, "Then, you asked me to check the serial number on this telescope piece…I did. Dude, the gun was purchased in Catherine's name."

"You're kidding me…"

"No. I couldn't believe it either, so I went back to her bank account and found the transaction to the gun—$749.64. Paid online through PayPal in her name. And before you come to any conclusions, I checked her account, and yes, it's legit." JT frowned. "The worst part? The exact amount was deposited into her account the morning before the rifle was purchased. I'm sorry buddy, but if more and more evidence goes against her, it's going to be a tough jury to convince."

"No." Vincent said, "Everything we've found has been linked through the web. We've just got to find out _who_ placed the money into her account; I'm sure her framer _can't_ be that great with technology. He or she is bound to mess up somewhere."

"I'll keep digging, V. I promise, I'm _not_ giving up on Cat. We'll catch this guy." JT replied.

"Thanks, man. However, you need your sleep right now, JT. Go to bed and get some rest. The research will be here in the morning." Vincent patted his best friend on the back before heading towards the front door. "Oh, and JT?"

"Yeah?"

"It doesn't take a beast to know there's something going on between you and Tess. If you like her, don't be that dumbass who waits until it's too late." Vincent smirked. "I'm off now."

"Don't get caught."

"I won't."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine was worried about her testimony. She couldn't very well tell her lawyer about the beast she's in love with and that she had arrested Robert Reynolds for terrorizing her boyfriend's life—that would definitely give her the motive to hire a killer. After spending some time in jail, she hated Gabe for distrusting her but, in reality, she couldn't blame him for going by the evidence. She was being framed—that much was obvious. However, considering the fact that she _did_ have the means and motive to hire a killer, she had two out of three strikes against her.

She definitely had motive; there wasn't any argument against it. She also had means—she knew people who would be able to get the job done, but that doesn't mean she was guilty. She shook away her thoughts when she saw a guard coming her way. "Time for your shower."

"I was told my shower would be around 6 AM in the morning; what is it now? Midnight?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. "I think I'll stay here and wait until then."

"I was sent to tell you the time's been changed. The showers are getting worked on at 6:30 AM tomorrow, so the boss sent me to tell you to take it now." The guard spat. "Look, lady, I'm just the messenger all right? You got your wish—you're eating breakfast, lunch and dinner before all of the other convicts and you're also on an individual shower schedule. It's my job to escort all prisoners within this wing so just make my job easier and get your tiny ass out of this cell before I drag you there myself!"

"I'm not a prisoner." Catherine folded her arms across her chest and wouldn't move.

"That's funny because the way I see it? You're locked up in this city jail and have to spend your days in this tiny cell until your court date. Now get a move on!" Before Catherine could say anything, the security guard grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the cell. He briskly dragged her down the corridor and turned a right corner before eventually pulling her into an empty, abandoned room.

"This isn't the shower room…" Catherine stated as the security guard suddenly switched off the lights. Getting a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, Catherine decided to keep quiet and walk a few steps to the left.

"I know it isn't." the guard's voiced echoed within the pitch-black room. "Most city-jails are dumps because prisoners never stay for more than a year. There's no point to update the place—now, Riker's, on the other hand, is a nice facility—it has security cameras in every room. This place, on the other hand, is mostly forgotten. While the left wing of this building is primarily in use, the right wing—which is where we are—is abandoned. No one uses this part of the building anymore."

Catherine didn't say a word and she covered her mouth to muffle her breathing sounds. However, no matter how hard she pressed her hands against her mouth, she couldn't stop her heart from thumping within her chest.

"Scared?" the guard laughed. "You shouldn't be—you used to be a cop; you've seen this kind of stuff every day." Catherine could hear his voice coming closer to her. She couldn't see anything, but as she felt the security guard's warm breath brush against her cheek, she kicked in front of her as hard as she could. She knew she had hit _something_, but it was so dark, she didn't know where her foot had impacted. However, she heard her assailant groan in pain so she stole the opportunity to search for the door. She slid her hands along the wall, and although she couldn't find the handle, she found the light switch. Without a minute to lose, she flipped on the switch and lights immediately lit up the room, causing both Catherine and the guard to slam their eyes shut.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" he chuckled. "I knew I made a good choice when I saw those women beating you up—you had spirit; that's something I like. It makes everything all the more challenging." He advanced her, and she clenched her fists, ready to fight him off. She slammed her foot into his chest, and knocked him flat onto the floor. She turned her head and found the doorway a few feet in front of her. She raced to it and pulled on the handle. The door wouldn't budge!

"One thing you need to know: I always come prepared. The room we're in? It's a bomb shelter—the door you're so desperately trying to open? It's only opened from the outside; there's another way out of here but if you think I'm going to tell you—you've got another thing coming." The security guard sneered. "No one will be able to hear you; no one will notice you're missing. When I'm done with you, I'll send you back to your cell."

"What makes you think you'd get away with something like this?" Catherine challenged. Catherine promised herself that whatever the guard had in mind, she wasn't going to let him win. She would fight and fight and fight and fight until he was left unconscious.

"It's my word against yours, sweet thing." He replied sadistically as he started to unbuckle his belt.

"Not if I have something to say about it." Catherine retorted as she kicked him towards the face. However, he caught her ankle with his arm and locked his elbow around it. Catherine wouldn't give up. She swung her other hip and kicked him square in the face, causing him to release her foot. She charged him and rammed her foot into his stomach as she sent him backwards, flying into the wall behind him. She kicked him in the face next and then in the chest. Thinking he was unconscious, she started walking back to the door to plea for help.

Although, the second she turned around, he opened his eyes and grabbed her ankle from behind. He pulled backwards, causing her to fall forwards. She hit the ground, hard and busted the corner of her lip. Catherine whipped back around until she was lying on her back and as the security guard crawled on top of her, she pushed his face up with her hands and kneed him in the crotch. He doubled over in pain so she took that opportunity to hop to her feet and grab the security guard's gun he had carelessly placed on the ground when he had slipped off his belt.

"Tell me how to get out of here." Catherine spat as she pointed the gun towards his brain. He didn't answer. "TELL ME!" Catherine demanded as she pressed the gun to his temple.

"I lied." He replied instantly, "There's a key…underneath the trash bin next to the door. That will open it."

Catherine backed up slowly with the gun still pointed at the security guard. As she took another step backwards, she felt a lash of pain whip across her shin, causing her to drop the gun and hug her leg. She looked up and the security guard had his belt in his hand and was walking towards her. He whipped his belt at her again, and the leathered material smacked against her fingers. She winced in pain as he struck her again and again. She had put out her hands to protect her face from the belt, but it didn't stop her from jerking every time the belt made contact with her skin. He didn't leave time between his floggings for her to react—each thrash was harder and faster than the last, and she was sure he was at a point of breaking skin.

When she thought he was going to whip at her again, she heard him toss the belt aside. As she looked up, his fist smashed into her nose, causing tears to fall from her eyes. When he aimed for her face again, she threw herself to the left to avoid it. He lost his balance and fell down. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed the gun before whacking it against his noggin, rendering him unconscious.

Catherine let out a breath of air and tossed the gun away from her. She slowly made her way to the door and groaned with agony as she bent down and lifted up the trash can. Sure enough, despite the guard's craziness, he had told her the truth—the key _was_ underneath it. She picked it up, slid it into the keyhole and staggered out of the bomb shelter.

She pressed her bleeding hand against her side as she hobbled back to the corridor her cell was in. It was late at night and all she wanted to do was crawl back into her cot and pray to God that the security guard wouldn't try to rape her during her sleep. She would deal with him in the morning; for now, she wanted nothing but a cold shower to wash off the dirt and blood covering her from head to toe. Unfortunately, until 6 AM, showering would have to wait.

As she turned the corner, she leaned against the wall to support her weight. The belt did a number on her legs and it was excruciating to walk on her own. Her muscles were bruised and sore from both beatings, and she didn't know how much more her body could handle if she was beaten again. When she saw someone's shadow making its way towards her, she feared it was going to be another guard. She stopped moving and flattened herself against the wall, and closed her eyes, hoping the owner of the shadow wouldn't see her.

The footsteps grew louder and louder as they headed towards her. She kept her eyes shut, and her heart thumped harder when the footsteps suddenly stopped in front of her. That's it! She's done for! She hissed in pain as she balled her fingers up, ready for anything.

"Catherine! Thank God!" she suddenly heard Vincent's voice exclaim as he pulled her in for a hug. She moaned in pain and he immediately released her. "What on earth? What happened?"

"Questions later," Catherine whispered as she automatically shifted her weight off of the wall and onto Vincent. She leaned her forehead against his breastplate, and relished in his protection. "Just get me back to my cell."

Vincent nodded and carefully picked her up into his arms before carrying her back to her jail cell. For all intents and purposes, he wanted to steal her away from the prison at that very moment, but he knew he would never hear the end of it from JT, Tess or from Catherine. He knew he had to stay by the book on this one—Catherine would want that. When he arrived to her cell, he noticed that the door was unlocked—nothing showed signs of a forced entry. He shifted Catherine's weight onto his left hand and reached over with his left to pull open the door.

Once inside, he placed Catherine down on her cot and walked over to the sink. He pulled off his shirt, turned on the faucet and soaked it with warm water before wrenching it dry. He didn't ask anything as he carefully cleaned her wounds with his shirt, and she didn't say a single word. He cleaned every welt he could find without removing her clothing. Finally, he said, "Raise your arms."

She nodded, knowing exactly what he was doing. He slipped his fingers underneath the hem of her shirt and slowly peeled it off of her body. More dark bruises and cuts were uncovered. She could tell he was pissed, and that he wanted to rip apart the persons responsible for her injuries. She also knew that he was purposely taking his time in washing her cuts—he needed a distraction, something that would help him calm down before the beast could consume him. He pushed off of the ground and stood to his feet before walking back to the sink. He turned on the water once more and rinsed out his shirt of as much blood as possible before returning to clean the wounds on her stomach and back.

Luckily, nothing was deep enough to need stitches, but they did need coverage. "I suggest you report what has happened tonight." She didn't say anything, and he didn't expect her to. In silence, he continued to gently clean off the dirt and blood from her body. When he was finished, he slipped her shirt back over her head, and gestured for her to remove her grey pants the prison had bestowed her. She slipped them down part way, and he pulled them down to her ankles. He helped her stand on her feet before inspecting her upper thighs and the rest of her legs. She had a few dark bruises surrounding her hips but no cuts. However, all across her legs, from her knees to her ankles, Vincent saw swollen, dark contusions peppering all across her legs. He cleaned them silently and then slid her pants back over her hips before tossing his wet shirt into the sink.

"Thanks…" she muttered softly as she sat back down on her cot. Vincent took her sore hands into his, and held them gently, careful not to cause her any discomfort.

"Catherine," he kissed her fingers, "What happened? Who did this to you?"

Catherine shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"The hell it doesn't!" Vincent snapped, causing her to flinch a little. When he saw her close her eyes shut and turn her head away, he immediately calmed down and released a heavy sigh. "Catherine," he spoke her name again and gently cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "I promise I won't go off on a rampage and kill the bastard; I just want to know what happened."

Catherine nodded into his hands, and felt her nose starting to burn. She inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let's just say my prison experience isn't exactly one to brag about." Vincent noticed her shiner, but decided not to bring it up. As he licked his lips to say something, Catherine continued, "This morning, at breakfast time, quite a few women who I helped put in jail attacked me—I held my own but it was me against seven of them. I couldn't hold all of them off, at least, not completely. I spent half the morning lying to my attorney because I can't tell her half of the things that goes on in my life. Most of the rest of the day was all right; the CEO has granted me permission to eat and shower on a different schedule than everyone else. And then…as I sat here, waiting for you, a security guard told me it was time for my shower. He led me to a secluded room, and well…the rest is history."

Catherine noticed the yellow glow in Vincent's eyes and realized she wasn't _clear_ enough. Disregarding the pain, she cupped his face and muttered, "Aside from what you see here, Vincent, I'm okay. He didn't _touch_ me." Vincent's eyes returned to brown and closed them as he felt her skin touching his. She leaned her forehead against his and inhaled his scent. For minutes, they sat in silence; Vincent's hands rested on Catherine's face and Catherine's on his.

Suddenly, Vincent opened his eyes and looked into Catherine's. He combed his fingers through her hair and whispered, "Let's leave this place, Catherine. You and I can run away together, and we can live somewhere in the mountains—a place away from society where we can't be hunted."

"Vincent," Catherine uttered his name softly, "I can't just get up and walk out of here."

"Why not?"

"Because," she took his hands into hers and kissed them, "If there's a chance I could walk out with a clean name, then I want to take that chance, Vincent. Remember? You said last resort. There's still time for you, Tess and JT to find things to clear my name. If I bolt, I _will_ be a criminal and I wouldn't get passed the state let alone the city borders. Then what would we do?"

Vincent hadn't really thought about the chance of Catherine getting caught—he assumed he could just sweep her off her feet and leave the country. "You're right," he looked downwards in shame, "I wasn't thinking."

"No, Vincent. You were." Catherine whispered, causing him to look into her hazel irises, "You were thinking of me—of us. The gesture is sweet, Vincent, but we need to wait and see things through. Okay?"

"Okay." He nodded and rose to his feet. "Catherine," he muttered and sat down beside her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Hm?"

"Something's come up…about the case." Vincent didn't want to dash Catherine's hopes but she had the right to know what JT had found out about the rifle.

"What?" She opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at him. "What is it?"

"I…uh…I found remnants of the rifle used to kill Reynolds…it had a serial number." He said slowly.

"That's great." She smiled with aspiration.

"Not really," Vincent shook his head. "The gun is in your name."

Catherine blinked once. "What?"

"JT…he…uh…found the manufacturer of the gun, and hacked into its site. The payment information stated that the gun was purchased with your PayPal account for roughly 750 dollars." Vincent replied.

"I didn't buy that gun."

"I know, love." Vincent quickly responded before kissing her forehead. "I know you didn't. JT's doing some further digging when he wakes up in the morning and soon enough, we'll catch the bastard responsible for this."

Catherine's lip quivered and she swallowed hard. "There really isn't any hope for me then…." She stared blankly at the cemented wall in front of her and felt as if her fate had already been decided. "With all of this evidence stacking up against me, I'm never going to get out of here, am I?"

"No. You _will_. I'll make sure of it." Vincent whispered as he kissed her cheek. "I should probably go now…. It's roughly 2 AM and you need your sleep, Catherine."

"Will I see you tommorr—I mean tonight?" Catherine asked as her eyes locked with his. "Will I?"

"I don't know. It's risky coming out here…but, I promise I'll see you soon. Okay?"

"Okay." Catherine nodded slowly. Vincent gently tugged on her chin and pulled her in for deep kiss. Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck and physically begged him not to leave, but he didn't have a choice. He stood up, with Catherine still holding on to him, and walked towards the door. She had wrapped her legs around the beast's waist and refused to release him until the last possible moment. She could feel her skin burn in pain with his touch, but the burning sensations paled in comparison to the agony of her heart. She loved Vincent with all of her heart, mind, body and soul, and it killed her not knowing when she would be seeing him again.

"I've got to go," he mumbled against the corner of her mouth as his hands gently pulled her off of him.

"I know…" he could feel her lips moving against his stubble as she spoke and it tore him to see her in such an emotional state. He kissed her once more and cupped her face to wipe her tears away and pressed his nose against her cheek.

"I'll be back; I promise." He murmurs against her cheek. He felt her face move slightly up and down as he heard silent sobs threatening to pour out of her mouth. "I love you; I always will love you, Catherine."

He pushed her jail cell door open and walked out before closing it again. He twisted the padlock until the hook met up with the lock and he pushed it in, securing Catherine within the cell. Even though he knew he should be leaving, he didn't want to. He wasn't sure what would happen if he left Catherine alone again. He left once, she was almost raped. Who is to say something worse won't happen the next time? Catherine leaned against the locked door. She slipped her arms through the bars and pulled Vincent towards her. Vincent complied and held her against the door like he did the night before.

They may be separated by iron bars, but their hearts were closer than ever.

Once more, they shared a spellbinding kiss—a kiss far more intense than the one they shared before they had made love in the houseboat. He pulled away from her ever so slightly and then kissed her forehead. "I am so in love with you, Catherine. You have no idea how much I love you." His words were quiet but the love sutured within each syllable spoke volumes.

"I love you too, Vincent." She mumbled quietly, but she knew he could hear her, "D-don't stay away too long."

"I won't." he shook his head before kissing her nose. He could tell she was starting to lose hope for herself so he asked, "Do you trust me Catherine? Do you trust me to bring you back your freedom?"

He licked his lips and waited for her answer.

"Always…" she whispered with a sad smile. One last time, Beauty and the Beast shared a loving kiss with one another before Vincent disappeared from Catherine's arms. Still in pain, she tottered to her sink to wash the tears off her face. Before she turned on the water, she noticed that Vincent had forgotten his shirt. It was still soaking wet, so she unraveled the bunched up piece of cloth and laid it flat underneath her cot. Quietly, she returned to the sink, rinsed her face off and slid into her uncomfortable bed to endure another very chilly night. The only warmth she could seek comfort in, other than the three blankets Tess had given to her, was the strength of Vincent's undying love.

* * *

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**Keiko Fujiwara: I know this chapter is quite a bit shorter than the previous ones but I felt like this would be a good stopping point. More to come! Christmas fluff is on its way—eventually. :) The events are stored in my brain—it's my fingers that find a way to bring it out. **

**Let me know what you think! **


	5. Part 5

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**HAVE FAITH! Keep hash-tagging BATB and signing petitions and everything else to get our show a THIRD season! :)**

**So sorry for the wait! I had trouble writing this chapter for some reason…and was super busy with the New Years! **

**Happy New Year by the way! :D**

**Okay! I'm done! :)**

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**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the Christmas holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Five~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

It was midday, Christmas Eve, and the evidence against Catherine continued growing. The precinct's IT department finally decrypted the masked voice used to contact the killer, and unfortunately for Catherine, it was indeed her voice. However, Tess, JT and Vincent refused to give up. JT was constantly on the computer when he wasn't teaching class and Tess was doing everything she could at the precinct to double-check the evidence—perhaps Gabe had missed something or overanalyzed something. Vincent, on the other hand, had been busy coming up with an escape plan in case things do not work in his girlfriend's favor. There were several different ways he could successfully break her out, but he feared she would be mad at him for breaking her out and not letting her see the system through. He had visited her the night before just as he had each other night as well. He had met her around 12 AM in the morning when there wasn't as much activity going on within the facility, and held her hand for nearly three hours until he told her she should catch some shuteye. He promised her he would return, but he wondered how many nights he would have to sneak in in order to see her.

"Uhhhh, V?" JT voiced, catching his best friend off guard. "You might want to come here…."

Vincent turned to look at JT, "What is it?"

"Just listen." JT replied as he played the audio from Catherine's phone. Tess had requested a copy from the IT and had given it to JT to analyze. He started playing the audio, and added, "This is what you hear _after_ I mute the receiver's voice."

"Okay…?" Vincent raised his eyebrow. He walked over to JT and closed his eyes as JT played the audio file. It was definitely Catherine's voice, that was for sure, but ever since Vincent listened to it the first time around, it sounded off to him. "Wait—replay it again."

"All right." JT nodded and restarted the audio. "Hear anything odd?"

"Yeah," Vincent replied, "But I can't seem to figure it out."

JT smirked. "But I did."

"You did?!"

"Yes." JT smiled. "First, I'm going to play the sniper's voice—listen to it very carefully."

"Okay."

Vincent once again listened to just the sniper's voice, but again, couldn't really pick anything definitive out. "They sound different…That's all I can tell."

"A guy with dog hearing like you, and you can't even tell me what's wrong here." JT shook his head in disdain. "Anyway, when you listened to the sniper's voice, there's constant white noise throughout the conversation. However, take his audio half away, there's only white noise occurring _during_ the times Catherine speaks. There's not a single sound of white noise between her phrases."

"I'm not with you…" Vincent raised his eyebrow.

"Did you hear those loud Darth Vader sounds before and after Catherine speaks?" JT asked.

"Yes."

"I first thought it was static; however, the sounds only happen a few seconds before and a few seconds after she speaks whereas static would happen sporadically. Then, I turned my thinking cap on, and BAM! I figured it out."

"Figured what out?"

"Those Vader sounds? That isn't white noise or any kind of static—it's the sound of someone pushing down a button before and after she speaks." JT replied, "Meaning, someone was playing with a recording device of some kind. Also, I noticed that within some of her single phrases, the white noise wasn't consistent. It was randomly fluctuating throughout the call."

Vincent smirked, "And _that_ proves the phone call was made by someone else—someone who had recordings of Catherine's voice. He or she probably mix-mashed them into certain phrases to get the exact words he or she wanted to say."

"Exactly!" JT exclaimed as he gave Vincent a high-five. "But that leaves another disturbing note…"

"Yeah…. Catherine's apartment might have been bugged." Vincent replied. "If so, we're going to need to find that device…." Vincent grabbed his jacket but JT stopped him from moving further.

"How about we let Tess take care of this? I mean, if Cat's apartment _is_ bugged, she's going to want to send a team out there to wipe it down for the records. If _you_ find it, Tess's theory might not be as credible." JT suggested.

"All right, fine. But at least let me go over there, scope the place, find it as well as wipe down my prints." Vincent replied.

"Good idea." JT nodded. "Call me once you're finished—I'll give Tess a heads up then."

"Sounds good. Keep digging—perhaps you can find the IP Address of those purchases." Vincent suggested. "Anyway, I'm off. I'll call you when I'm done." Vincent ran out of the guild and headed straight for Catherine's. He thought that if her place was bugged, he would have known—then again, he didn't know Alex's place was bugged that one time. He snuck into her apartment, and was glad to know the place wasn't icy cold as he was expecting it to be. JT _did_ pay off her rent, but one could never be too sure.

He slipped inside Catherine's apartment through her bedroom and wondered where someone might bug her place. He searched high and low, but couldn't find anything. Nothing seemed out of place—except for her lack of Christmas decorations—and everything seemed as perfect as he remembered her home. However, something weird caught his eye. He had never seen that little silver monkey resting on her bookcase before—in fact, he could have sworn Catherine wouldn't ever own such a hideous thing displayed so out in the open. He walked towards it and picked it up with his gloved hands. He turned it upside down, and sure enough, there was a wiring device inside its cavity. He placed it back down and walked into her bedroom. He saw another silver animal—a kangaroo—sitting on top of her dresser. Again, he lifted up the gaudy figurine and found another bug.

He searched the entire apartment for any other silver animal figurines and found one in her bathroom, and another in her kitchen. Her home was thoroughly bugged. He decided to pocket the ugly kangaroo and the bathroom's hippopotamus in case there was any private audio recorded before pulling out Catherine's kitchen cleaning appliances to wipe down her apartment. If her framer was meticulous enough to place four listening devices into her apartment, he was sure the framer wouldn't have been so precarious not to wear gloves.

After wiping everything down, he put the appliances away and went back to Catherine's room. He figured she might want a book to read or her journal that she often writes in. He stashed a couple of her books into his bag and also gently placed her journal and pen inside. When he thought he had everything, he climbed onto the fire escape, closed her window and jumped down to the streets.

Instead of calling JT like he had originally planned, he decided to go back to the guild and see if the professor ever found anything else. He also wanted to know _what_ was on those devices. "I'm back," he called out to JT as he entered through the front door. "You can call Tess now."

"I thought you were going to call me first." JT replied as he raised his eyebrow.

"Nah…, but I did find four bugs…I kept two of them and placed the other two back where I found them." Vincent said as he started walking towards his room.

"Woah! I thought we agreed _not_ to take any of them!" JT turned his head toward Vincent and frowned. "You don't listen very well, do you." It wasn't a statement, it was an observation.

"I'm sorry, man, but I didn't feel comfortable of handing in listening devices that were stashed within in bathroom and her bedroom! I mean, who knows how long these things have been _in_ her apartment. For all we know, they could lead back far longer than five months ago…" Vincent blushed a little bit.

"Ah. I see. Okay, well I'll just tell Tess to search for them; that's all she needs to know." JT replied and pulled out his cell phone.

Vincent went into his room and sat on his bed before pulling out the two silver animals. He carefully slipped out each device from their animal cavities, and examined them. They weren't _just_ listening devices—they were video devices as well. No matter how many ways Vincent took the devices apart, he couldn't figure out how to view the feed. He walked out of his room and looked at JT. "Hey, these spy devices…is there a way I can see what was on them?"

"Well, if they were made to send the feed wirelessly, then no. There's no way to know what her framer had been listening to / watching. Let me see them." JT said as he stood up and walked over to Vincent. Vincent held one of them within his hands, and JT analyzed it thoroughly. "Sometimes, there is a failsafe built within spy cameras—incase the wireless function doesn't work, there's sometimes an SD card which stores all of the recorded information. You just have to know where to look." JT's tongue popped out of his mouth and touched the corner of his lips as he probed at every part of the device. "There!" he said as he peeled back its cover. "Found it."

"Thanks." Vincent nodded and went back into his room. He took out the SD card from the other device and inserted the bathroom one into his SD jack of his laptop. "All right," Vincent mumbled, "Let's see how far back you go."

To his surprise, the SD feed started as far back as Catherine's car accident. The framer was wearing all black, of course, when he—Vincent was now sure—placed the cameras inside Catherine's apartment. He couldn't tell who the person was because he avoided any direct contact with the camera. He fast-forwarded through most of the content until one made him almost choke—it was footage of the night he and Catherine spent together after their little pool date. He and Catherine were…ahem…cleaning off in the bathtub, among other things, and this bastard—whoever he is—has probably watched every single second of it!

He switched SD cards, and feared what he might find on the one that was located in Catherine's room. Again, he was able to skim through some of it, but when he got around three weeks in, he was thoroughly disgusted—not at the footage going on in front of him, but at what this guy had seen…. There were clips of Catherine changing; there were clips of her walking out of her bathroom, taking off her towel and putting on a fresh pair of pjs. What was worse? There were quite a few intimate scenes—if that was what to call it—of him and Catherine dating months back.

He pulled out the SD card and grabbed the other one. Then, he walked out of his bedroom and headed for the shredder near JT's computer. "Dude! What're you doing! That's evidence!"

"I know, but no one needs to see these. The other devices in Catherine's apartment were, without a doubt, simply audio devices. These, on the other hand, were video—I don't think her framer intended on catching very much audio in these cards. It just sickens me to think that _we_—Catherine and I—have been surveyed during…you know…. I mean, what the hell!?" Vincent's eyes started to glow.

"Okay, first off, you need to calm down, Vincent before you accidentally destroy my shredder. Second, were you able to look at the framer?" JT inquired as he folded his hands in his lap.

"Not really…he was wearing all black as well as a mask." Vincent replied. "Wait…."

"What?"

"Hang on…I'll be right back." Vincent suddenly rushed to his room and inserted the bedroom video again. He slowly watched as the framer straightened out the camera. Vincent decided to play the audio and hope for voices. As the framer perfected the angle of the camera, he heard a _"Come on! She could be home any minute!" _The voice was certainly female—so Framer had an accomplice. Then Framer yelled, _"Coming!"_ Vincent replayed the "Coming!" over and over and over and over until his mind could match a face with the voice.

Immediately, he stormed out of his bedroom and shouted, "JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON THAT BASTARD!"

JT jumped up and ran to his best friend, "Dude, what's wrong?!"

"It's Gabe." Vincent replied darkly. "It's been him the whole time!"

"What makes you say that?" JT gulped.

"I heard his voice in the video! It's him, JT. I know his voice—and there was a woman in the background; I think that was Tyler." Vincent's eyes flared. "She's lucky she's dead because when I get through with Gabe—"

"No." JT stretched his arms out and blocked Vincent's pathway. "You can't kill him! Catherine would never forgive you if you kill any human!"

"He can't just think he can get away wi—"

"He won't." JT shook his head. "I hate to say this, but you're going to have to turn that SD card into Tess. If it's proof that Gabe is the one behind everything, you need to turn it in.

"And risk people watching those…sex tapes?! I think I'd rather deal with this on my own." Vincent tried to step passed JT but JT grabbed onto his arms to stop him.

"Vincent, listen to yourself! _Killing_ was the reason you and Catherine had that falling out in the first place! If you go and kill Gabe, that won't prove to Catherine how you've changed from 007 to Maxwell Smart! Think about it, V! Besides, even if you _could_ do something about it, Gabe's on his way to Hawaii right now. The least we can do is search his apartment and his office. Please, just wait for Tess to commence an investigation before going off to kill him when he returns." JT pleaded. "It's Christmas Eve, man; go get your girl a present."

At the thought of Catherine shivering within her jail cell, Vincent calmed himself down. He couldn't lose it at a time like this—he needed to keep his cool if he wanted to get Catherine out of jail the legal way. "Fine…. But when he comes back, I'm at least going to give him one hell of a punch in the face. Perhaps break his nose."

"You do that….But for now, just go back into your room and take a long, cold shower until Tess can make it over here. You can tell her your findings then." JT pointed to Vincent's bedroom as he sentenced him to time out. "Seriously, if you don't calm down, I'll have no choice but to lock you up inside that vault—I don't really want to do that for Christmas Eve though. Remember, Tess and I will be going to her folks for dinner tonight."

Vincent didn't respond. He simply walked back into his bedroom, and slammed his door like a teenage boy whenever he doesn't get his way.

"Boy, this is going to be a long day for him…." JT mumbled to himself as he started finding ways to tie every sort of evidence to Gabe. If Gabe was indeed the mastermind behind the operation, JT would make sure to pin everything he had against him—to lock him up for good. He never trusted the bastard and was glad his suspicions were starting to prove him right. Gabriel Lowan could not be trusted.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

JT was right to suspect that Catherine's apartment was being bugged. Tess had received permission from the second guy in charge to bring a team to search Cat's place. They had found two bugs and took them down to the precinct immediately to be analyzed. "In a few days, Cat, I'm sure you'll be out of that hell place in no time."

Instead of going back to the precinct or going to the guild, Tess made a little field trip to the city jail. She got to speak with Catherine some, in the phone room. Catherine didn't seem well at all—it was almost as if she wasn't eating the right amount of food to keep her strength up. She looked a little thinner—not much—but enough to notice. She still had bruises on her face, arms and legs, and her voice sounded hoarse. She was sneezing too. When she left her best friend, she decided to pay a little visit to the CEO—her sister-in-law's uncle.

"Tess! How nice to see you again!" Ted grinned as Tess walked into his office. "What brings you here to see an old, stuffy man like me?"

"I came to see a friend," Tess smiled. "I'm sure you know her, Catherine Chandler?"

"Absolutely; her father was a great man." Ted grinned. "It's a shame he passed away a few months ago."

"Yeah…Tom _was_ a good man. Speaking of _good_ men, I was hoping you could do me a favor." Tess smirked as she took her seat in the chair in front of her uncle-in-law's desk.

"Uh-oh. Why do I get the feeling that this little favor is going to cost me big time?" Ted laughed. "All right, I'm interested. What do you want?" Ted leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"For tonight through the morning of December 26th, I want you to consider granting Catherine house arrest so she can spend Christmas with her boyfriend." Tess stated casually. "I can assure you, she isn't guilty—she's more innocent than I am most days. It would be a great Christmas present for her from me if you could grant me that little favor."

"I'm sorry, Tess, but it isn't my place to decide who goes where and when. That's the judge." Ted replied solemnly.

"Yes, but she hasn't had her court date yet, so technically, she's not sentenced _anywhere_; she's simply in holding until a court date can be issued to her. Come on, UT, all she needs is a little ankle monitor for the next 32 or so hours and I swear to you, she will not be planning on leaving her home the moment she and her boyfriend step inside. But that little tidbit can stay between you and me. What do you say?"

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"You can bet my ass on it." Tess replied. "If you want this little skirmish to stay between you and me, _I _can escort her home and bring her back here by noon the 26th. Gabriel Lowan won't be back until _after_ New Year's. He told me himself." Tess smirked. "Pleeeeease?! I'll pay for yours and Marla's anniversary meal—it _is_ the 25th of January, right?"

"That is correct….You know I could lose my job if anyone ever found out." Ted scratched his head. "But…seeing as she _is_ the daughter of a great friend and that I have plenty I still owe Thomas, I'll grant it. _But_," he raised his voice a little bit, "you must promise me she'll be back by noon on the 26th. And you must ensure the boyfriend doesn't speak a word of this to anyone."

"Oh don't worry; Cat's boyfriend is the master of secrets." Tess grinned. "Thank you!" Tess gave her uncle-in-law a hug. "I'll be sure to tell Macy how wonderful you are."

"I'm sure she already knows considering I helped bring her into this world." Ted laughed. "All right, I'll come down with you and let her out myself. The other workers will be so busy with the prisoners as well as fretting for the holidays, that they wouldn't even notice she's missing. If they do, I'll be sure to tell them _something_ believable."

"Thanks, UT. You're one of the best." Tess smiled. "This will mean the world to her."

"I know it will. A sweet girl like Catherine should never have been locked up in a place like this to begin with." Ted said as he grabbed an ankle monitor. "Are you _sure_ she won't leave her apartment?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure." Tess winked. "Here's her address in case you need it for the monitor to work." Tess handed her uncle a piece of paper with Cat's address scrawled on it. Ted led the way to Catherine's cell, and started to unlock it.

"What's going on?" Catherine asked wearily. "Did something happen?"

"Not really," Tess smirked, "Anyway, after Ted puts that ankle monitor on your ankle, you and I are going to go for a little drive. You have an appointment to get to, Cat." She flashed her eyes at Catherine hinting her to play along.

"Right! Appointment!" Catherine automatically exclaimed. "_That_ appointment."

"Don't try too hard," Tess muttered. "Anyway, you have a very important baby appointment to get to, and if we don't leave right now, you'll miss it." Tess didn't know why she said _baby_, but it was the first thing she could think of that didn't sound too suspicious.

Catherine had no idea what was going on but she knew Tess was up to something. "Baby appointment? Really?!" she mouthed in question.

"Sorry," Tess murmured, "first thing I could think of."

Ted finished getting the device on Catherine's ankle, and smiled, "Have fun with your _baby appointment_, I'm sure the daddy will be very proud when he finds out." Catherine could tell Ted was in on _it_ too—whatever _it_ was. Tess escorted the confused ex-cop to her cruiser, and said, "Buckle up, Joan of Arc; you've got quite the night ahead of you." Catherine scratched her head after buckling herself in. "Oh yeah, It's probably best you remain blindfolded."

"Okay, now I'm worried." Catherine replied. "This isn't some sick attempt of breaking me out, is it?"

"Not in the least." Tess replied with honesty. Without another word, she floored the gas pedal and drove off towards Cat's apartment.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Tess, where are we?" Catherine asked as she tried to figure out her surroundings from the traffic whizzing by the cruiser. "Why have we stopped?"

"Would you just chill?" Tess laughed, "I need to make sure the doctor is free today so just sit here and I'll be right back. Don't you _dare _think about pulling that blindfold off. Just sit back and relax, all right? I'll be only a few minutes."

"Okaaaay?" Catherine was a little worried. She really hoped Tess wasn't trying to bust her out of jail. It would be a nice gesture, but it could put Tess's job in jeopardy—Catherine couldn't have that.

When Tess left the vehicle, she walked a few steps away from the cruiser and pulled out her phone. She pressed JT's contact information and dialed him up.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, I need you to do me a favor…." Tess replied without saying hi back.

"_Okay, what do you need?" _

"I need you to tell Vincent to go to Catherine's apartment ASAP. Make something up; his Christmas present from the two of us will be waiting there." Tess said before ending the call. She smiled to herself and really couldn't wait for Catherine to have her Christmas present. She opened up the cruiser door and said to Catherine, "All right, the coast is clear so I'm going to help guide you to your _appointment_."

"Okaaaay?" Catherine knew she wasn't having an appointment and the way Tess emphasized the word made her even more suspicious. What could that ole goofball be planning? Catherine paid attention to her steps; something felt familiar about the place, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Almost there." Tess suddenly stated as she heard her ex-partner unlock and push open a door. Tess slowly guided Catherine through the door and pulled her a few steps in before commanding the curious cat to remove her blindfold. Slowly, Catherine pulled off the black bandana that Tess had tied around her head earlier and gasped.

"I'm home…" Catherine murmured in bewilderment. It had been four days too long since she stepped foot inside her cozy, grey-colored apartment, and grinned when she saw the Christmas tree decorated beautifully. Catherine spun around and gave Tess a great, big hug. "You did this, for me?"

"Not the decorations, but I convinced my uncle-in-law, Ted, to allow you to stay here for two days—that's why you're wearing the ankle monitor. Since Gabe is away, he won't need to know about this little rendezvous—it'll stay a secret." Tess placed her finger against her mouth before adding, "Oh, and Vincent decorated the apartment. He didn't know _when_ you'd be able to come home—even if just for a few nights—so he decorated the place to make it a little cozier inside."

"He did a wonderful job." Catherine smiled as she gazed at the sparkling lights glittering throughout her apartment. "H-how did he manage to do all of this? I should have lost power by now."

"Oh—that. JT paid for all of your bills and your rent the other day. He said he wanted to apologize—for what? I guess only _you _would know that answer—and he said he will refuse any payment you make out to him to reimburse his account."

Catherine sat down in her couch and relished in the moment. "I guess I'll have to thank him the next time I see him. Vincent, too." She looked at her former partner, and asked, "Does Vincent know I'm home for a few nights?"

"Not sure…" Tess shrugged. "I'm sure it won't take him too long to figure it out though."

"I hope." Catherine sank into her cushion. "Tess, there's something you should know—something Vincent and I have been discussing in the past couple of days." Catherine shifted her weight onto her left leg and angled herself to look at her best friend, "We think…it might be better…if he and I move away from New York City—not permanently, we hope, but long enough to wait out the craziness. I'm sure my fat—Reynolds—told others about Vincent—and I don't know what I would do if someone took him away from me again."

"Hey," Tess placed her hand on Catherine's shoulder, "I understand. You do what you have to do, remember? JT and I will stay in contact with both of you—if you two are adamant about leaving Manhattan—and let you know if we think it's safe to return."

"Thanks…though, it might be wise not to tell you or JT of our whereabouts. The less you know, the safer you two will be. We can contact the old fashioned way—through mail and have aliases or something…a fake address too." Catherine sighed. "It's still in discussion but I think we're going to do it—leave, I mean."

"Whatever you decide, Cat, I'll support your decision. If being thousands of miles away means you'll be safe, then I hope you do move to God knows where. Anyway, you have plenty of time to mull over your future—right now, just enjoy these next two nights with or without Vincent." Tess smiled. She stood up from the couch and stretched her back. "I hate to say this, but I've gotta jet. I have some Christmas plans of my own I need to attend to."

"All right," Catherine nodded, "I'll see you Thursday, I guess?"

"Yeah, 11:25 AM sharp—so make sure you're ready before then so we can be in the cruiser by 11:30 AM. The last thing I need is a lecture from a family member about punctuality." Tess replied before giving Catherine a hug. "I promise we'll get you free, Cat. I'll be damned if you spend another week inside that Godforsaken prison."

"Thanks…" Catherine replied even though she didn't sound convinced that Tess, Vincent and JT could pull something off without something backfiring. Tess noticed her withdrawal, but decided not to say anything further. She needed hefty convincing, but she was confident that Vincent could do a better job than her anyway. Tess slowly walked out of Catherine's apartment and disappeared before Vincent could see her.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**-After Tess called JT…**

"Who was that?" Vincent asked as he made his way out of his room. "And shouldn't you be getting ready for your dinner thing tonight?"

"Don't worry about me, V. I'll be ready in time." JT smiled as he stood up and stretched his muscles. "Speaking of which, you need to grab your jacket—Tess told me she found some of your things at Cat's place. She hid them in Cat's bedroom closet, but she thinks it's best if you go and grab them in case someone else issues another search."

Vincent could tell the professor was lying. A monkey could lie better than his best friend, JT Forbes. "Is that so?" Vincent walked over to the professor and folded his arms across his chest as he gave him an unconvinced look. "I know for a fact I don't have anything at Catherine's. She would have given me my things back to me several weeks ago. So, what's really going on?"

"Dammit." JT muttered, "Okay, well, since I can't ever seem to dance around the truth with you, I might as well be honest."

"And?"

"Well, we couldn't exactly hide our Christmas present without you finding it out so Tess held off it's delivery until today and you're Christmas present is waiting for you at Cat's place." JT stated before walking over to the bar and pulling out a bottle of beer.

"Oh. Okay." Vincent nodded, "I guess I'll be back later than."

"I wouldn't count on it." JT mumbled to himself but the beast easily caught it.

Ignoring his best friend's last statement, Vincent slipped on his jacket and stuffed his hands into his pockets before making his way to Catherine's apartment. _What on earth could those two nutcases be planning?_

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Ever since Catherine arrived home for the holiday, she decided to finish wrapping Vincent's gift. She had bought it several months ago—before he had been captured—and decided to wait for the right moment to give it to him. Eventually, she believed that Christmas would be the ideal time to do so. She opened her closet inside her bedroom, and hummed to herself as she searched for his gift.

Most of her bruises were starting to heal, and her body didn't ache as bad as it did a few nights before. If anything, she hoped those first two nights would be the _last _of her prison perils. She hated the damn place and even though she desperately wanted to return to her life, she needed to see the system through. She wanted to prove to the world that she was innocent—she didn't want to have to 'die,' in order to gain her independence.

"Found it." Catherine muttered to herself and pulled out Vincent's boxed gift. She still had to wrap it, but was glad to know she hadn't lost it within the abyss of her closet. Too many shoes go missing in there—a small box could easily disappear if not hidden properly.

She spent the next ten minutes wrapping the small box to perfection before placing a label on its surface and writing, **"To: V; From: Catherine."** She assumed he would stop by her place eventually so she picked up the gift wrapped in red, green and gold striped paper and set it down on her vanity next to the fire escape. "There." She smiled.

As she walked towards the main room of her apartment, she stopped, dead in her tracks, when she saw _him_ standing in the doorway and staring right at her. She lightly gasped and covered her mouth as if she hadn't seen her lover in years. Her heart dropped from her chest and she muttered only one name her quivering lips were capable of forming, "Vincent…."

* * *

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**Keiko Fujiwara: DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN! **

**So, what did you think? **


	6. Part 6

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**I don't know about you guys but I am super psyched to see what BATB brings to the table this January! :) I have been waiting patiently and even though there is a hiatus starting in March, I will always have faith for our show! Spread the love!**

**Okay! I'm done! :)**

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**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the Christmas holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| **THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M! _(I will change the rating due to this particular chapter)_  
**

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS RATED 'M'!**

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Six~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Vincent…" he heard _her_ gasp as he made his way into her apartment. For a split second, his mind was telling him that the beautiful, unkempt women standing five or so feet in front of him was only an illusion. Catherine couldn't be in her apartment, could she? He blinked his eyes twice but her image didn't fade. As pale and malnourished as she was, she was glowing in radiance as the Christmas lights sparkled around her. She seemed shocked and a bit relieved. It was almost as if she wasn't expecting him, but at the same time, she was inwardly ecstatic for his sudden appearance. He examined her with his eyes, noting the monitor latched around her ankle before secretly smirking to himself when he noticed the flannel red-striped pajamas she was wearing. "Catherine…," he finally mumbled audibly. He could hear her heart beating a million miles a second when she heard him speak her name.

Suddenly, Catherine started running towards him with her arms extended outward. Vincent met her halfway and caught her as she jumped into his arms. As he grasped her bottom to support her weight against him, she cupped his warm, bearded cheeks and kissed him dozens of times on his forehead, his temples, his nose, his chin and lastly, his lips. Her hands slid from his cheeks to the back of his head and kept him from pulling away. Vincent wouldn't pull away from her anyway—he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

He mindlessly walked over to her kitchen counter and gently placed her on its smooth, marble surface before sliding his hands underneath the hem of her pajama top. Catherine gently pulled away from him and leaned her head against his forehead with her nose pressing against his own. "I've missed this…." she muttered softly as her fingers threaded through Vincent's short hair.

"Me too." He mumbled and gazed into her eyes and lost himself within their hazel luster. He removed his hands from her back and cupped her face lovingly. As she sank into his warm palms, he lightly tugged her head downwards and pressed his lips against hers once more. She kissed him hungrily as her hands slid from his hair to the back of his shoulders, digging her fingers into his hot, clothed skin. Catherine wrapped her legs around his waist and Vincent gripped her hips before stealing her away from the counter. She feathered kisses along his jawline, and then lightly nibbled on his earlobe as he raced them to her bedroom.

In minutes, they were on Catherine's bed and kissing the heck out of each other. Vincent felt his heart racing and his adrenaline rising. He may have more control over his beast, but due to recent events, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Catherine. He pulled away from her, flipped over and leaned his back against the bed's headboard. As he raked his fingers through his hair, Catherine sensed his insecurities.

"Hey," she whispered as she sat up and hugged him. "It's okay."

"No it's not." He muttered shamefully as he avoided her gaze. "I'm _different_ than from before I was captured. I could seriously hurt you."

Catherine caressed his cheek and forced him to look at her, "We've done it before, remember? It was when you had kidnapped me and took me to your houseboat."

He shook his head. "I had more control then."

"You _have_ more control _now_." Catherine emphasized and kissed his cheek. "Vincent," she snaked her arm around his shoulders and combed her fingers through his hair, "You have your memories back—our memories. So you should know that we can overcome anything by now, and besides, _you_ don't get to decide what is or isn't dangerous for me, mister." Catherine playfully jabbed her finger into his chest. "I make my own choices, and I will _always_ choose us. That's why I searched for you for three whole months, and why I constantly…as well as annoyingly…bugged the crap out of you about your memories. And…as crazy as it sounds, that's why I shot you—I was _afraid_ of losing us. It was the only way I could stop you from destroying our relationship, Vincent."

"I know…" Vincent nodded and took her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "If the situation were reversed, Catherine…if _you_ had a gun pointed at Reynolds and if I wasn't a bloodthirsty raging lunatic, I would have pushed that SOB out of the way as well as taken the bullet—just to stop you from losing your humanity." His worries seemed to have disappeared because he rolled on top of her and trapped her underneath him. He stared into her eyes, and added, "When you were in Miami, I was crazy without you nearby. Every night you were gone, I slept here—this place is filled with your essence and saturated with your scent. Your bed was the closest substitution for lack of a better word." He slightly chuckled, causing Catherine to smile. "What I'm _trying_ to say is that _you_, Catherine, you are what makes me human." He licked his lips, "I meant what I said after killing Zach—without you, I would become a monster. Perhaps, when Reynolds forced me to break up with you, I started to lose myself."

Catherine cupped his face and grinned, "Would it be strange if I told you that was the first thing that has made sense to me in the last several months?"

"No," he shook his head and laughed, but suddenly frowned. "The truth is, Catherine, I was afraid." He admitted.

"Of what?" Catherine asked.

"With everything that had been going on between Reynolds and Tori…and breaking up with you," he kissed her nose, "I was starting to feel alone. Reynolds had it out for me—and I'm sure he isn't the last of the many threats against my life in the future. Tori is AWOL—not that I really care. You had shot me, no offense, and requested some time off from us…and JT and I…well things aren't like they used to be between us. When I had yelled at him for chastising you, I feared our friendship would start to bust. Anyway," he leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes as he concentrated on her heartbeat, "that night, when you told me you wanted to take a break, I nearly lost it. Sure, I respected your terms—as best as I could—, but I felt like I was tearing up on the inside. I _had_ to see you, Catherine. Almost every night, during our break, I would watch you fall asleep from the fire escape across the street.

"This isn't easy to explain because, hell if I understand it myself, but when I was near you, the burning sensations ceased. When you went to Florida, I came here. Your essence, alone, keeps me sane, Catherine. Like I said before: I'd be lost without you."

Catherine felt tears falling down the sides of her face. All this time, he had been scared of losing himself to the beast. If she knew how much he had been suffering, she would have never heeded JT's poisoning advice to leave him be. She wouldn't have ever ended things between them. She slithered her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "I'm so sorry," her lips quivered as she slightly withdrew from him, "for everything…."

"Hey," he cupped her face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs, "It wasn't your fault, my love." He kissed her with burning fervor and inwardly swore to never break Catherine's heart again. She has gone through so much and he would kill himself first before ever hurting her.

As he kissed and kissed and kissed and kissed the beautiful woman trapped beneath him, he could sense the sexual arousal building up in both of them. Her scent was intoxicating, and he felt more drawn to Catherine Chandler than ever. Catherine pulled Vincent's shirt off of him and marveled at his strong chest. Then, her eyes noticed the scar on the side of his abdomen. She placed her fingers over it and gently caressed his marked skin. Vincent took her fingers into his hand and kissed them. She looked up at him with so much regret in her eyes.

"Hey, I'm okay." He smiled. "I'm all right."

Catherine nodded and kissed him again. She clumsily unbuttoned her pajama top, quickly pulled it off of her shoulders and tossed elsewhere. Vincent moaned with excitement when he felt her bare chest pressing against his. While his hands traveled to her breasts, he kissed her neck and trailed his lips to her collarbone. Mindlessly, Catherine arched into his firm grips and her eyes fluttered in arousal. "It's been too long," she muttered softly as her fingers played with his brown locks.

"Far too long," Vincent mumbled between her breasts. Catherine threw her head back when she felt his mouth taking over one of his hands. Vincent took his time as he slowly sucked and nibbled on her nipples, purposely making his lover's mind explode in ecstasy.

Eventually, all clothes were thrown carelessly onto the floor and Vincent was hovering over Catherine's very naked body. He gazed into her eyes as his skin melted against hers, and kissed her hard on the mouth, claiming her as his own. Hands caressed every inch of each lover's body and massaged every crevasse. Nothing went untouched as the Beauty and the Beast rekindled their irrevocable love. The moonlight illuminated their bodies as they made love well into the night. The force of nature wanted them together. There was no deny in the great design—Catherine Chandler and Vincent Keller were made for each other.

Catherine never removed her eyes from Vincent's intense, yet loving gaze. She felt special—she always did when they made love. Vincent was the first man to ever make her feel beautiful inside and out. "I love you," she mumbled between her heavy pants. "I will always love you, Vincent."

"I love you too, Catherine." He whispered before kissing her passionately on the lips. When she wrapped her legs around his hips, he smirked. "You must _really_ love me if you're trapping me like this."

"You have no idea." Catherine murmured before flipping them over until she was straddling him. "Even a few hours in and the party is just about to begin." Catherine smirked and leaned over to kiss him.

"You are such a party animal." Vincent teased while his hands naughtily groped her buttocks.

"You're one to talk." She laughed just before the clock struck twelve. Suddenly remembering what day it was, Catherine gave Vincent a very hot kiss and tightened her grip around his waist.

"What was _that_ for?" he asked, breathless as he stared at the beautiful Asian woman hovering over him.

"Merry Christmas, Vincent." She whispered into his ear before kissing his neck. Vincent folded his legs around the small of her back and pushed himself upwards until he was on top of her again. He kissed her ravenously and as he continued to make love to her, Catherine was finally happy again. Everything was right in the world during this specific moment, and they were both determined to make every second of their night together count.

"Merry Christmas, Catherine."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

As the early Christmas morning sun irradiated Catherine's bedroom, Vincent's eyes flickered open. He couldn't help but smile when he found his beauty wrapped up in his strong arms. The previous night had been heaven's bliss, and he would have to give JT and Tess a thousand "THANK YOU" cards for arranging this. He felt Catherine stir against him as she inhaled his scent. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and his heart warmed up when she smiled at him.

"Good morning." She yawned while she stretched against him. "Remind me to send Tess my thanks when I have to go back tomorrow morning."

Vincent nodded. He knew she would have to go back—she had an ankle monitor on after all. Though, he couldn't help but be slightly disappointed to find out that she would only have one more night with him until returning back to the city jail. Vincent opted on telling Catherine about Gabe, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. He would wait until the afternoon to tell her what he had learned. "I wish you didn't have to go back."

"Me too." Catherine kissed his chest. "But, if I don't, I could put Tess in a lot of trouble."

Vincent tightened his hold around her, "Then I will visit you every night until you are freed." Catherine smiled before giving him a kiss on the lips. As she was about to say something, her stomach growled, causing her cheeks to blush. "Nature calls." Vincent smirked and slipped out of the bed before pulling her into his arms. He carried her naked self into the kitchen and placed her on the counter like he did the night before.

"I make food on this counter, you know." Catherine folded her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrow at Vincent.

Vincent rolled his eyes playfully before planting a kiss on her belly. "Deal." He looked up at her and she blushed even more. "Now, while I make us some breakfast, you stay here and admire the view."

"Or what?" she challenged and raked her fingers through his hair. "You'll bite me?"

"I just might," he flashed a naughty grin before turning around to search for some pans. "Eggs and bacon?" _What a quick turnaround_,Catherine thought.

"Surprise me." Catherine replied. Vincent fetched a carton of eggs and a few slices of bacon before walking back to the stove. Catherine couldn't complain about sitting on a very cold surface—she was enjoying the view of a naked Vincent Keller cooking at her stove. It was certainly a turn on and if Vincent didn't make breakfast quickly, she didn't think she would want to eat anymore…at least not any food anyway.

Soon enough, they did eat a nice Christmas breakfast on her apartment floor. To Catherine's surprise, Vincent's cooking was excellent, and she was starting to see her boyfriend in a whole new light. "I didn't know you could cook." Catherine said after finishing up her eggs.

"Well, I never had the opportunity to cook for you. I mean, all of our food we've eaten on the rooftop was store-bought, and when I was going to make you that sandwich, we kind of got preoccupied that night." He smirked before giving her a kiss on the shoulder. "At least, now, you have a new image of me to focus on."

Catherine laughed. "You really do surprise me sometimes. I never pegged you as a guy who would dine naked with his girlfriend. We've never really done thatbefore, but it's definitely something I'd do again in a heartbeat. This is beginning to be one of my best Christmases ever."

Vincent placed his plate aside and hovered over Catherine. "Then we better _do_ something to make it into your best Christmas ever."

"Oh?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. "I take it you don't want your present then." Vincent started to speak but instantly closed his mouth, causing his girlfriend to giggle with a smile. "First of all, I've had your gift for quite a while, but I wanted to hold on to it until the best moment." She scooted out from underneath him and walked away from her main room and towards her bedroom. She walked over to the fire escape, picked up the neatly wrapped gift and made her way back to Vincent.

"I could get used to that view," Vincent smirked as he watched her walk back to him, stark nude.

Catherine rolled her eyes and straddled him before wrapping her legs around his lower back. "Here." She said as she presented the box she held in her hands. "It's nothing much but, strangely enough, I found them on eBay as I was searching your name within the police database…before you get mad, I know they might be a cruel reminder of what Muirfield did to you, but I don't know…, I just felt like they needed to be returned to the rightful owner."

Vincent looked at her with confusion. What on earth was she talking about? What needed to be returned to their rightful owner? Instead of mentally asking any more questions, he decided to open up her gift. He methodically pulled apart the paper, careful not to rip any part of it, and slid the box out. He carefully lifted up the lid and widened his eyes. He hadn't seen those things in nearly eleven and a half years! "Where did you say you got these again?"

"eBay." Catherine replied. "I guess someone found them and decided to finally sell them. I never intended on finding them; it just happened. Heck, I didn't even know you had lost them."

"I didn't notice they were gone until after I made it back to the states. I assumed I lost these dog tags during all of the chaos." Vincent said as he took the silver dog tags with his name engraved on them out of the box and slipped them over his head. "Thanks," he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, "I love them."

"I was hoping you would." Catherine grinned and kissed him. "Now, I don't know about you, but I think a nice, hot and steamy shower is in order." She stood up and stretched her muscles, "Care to join?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Vincent chuckled as he followed her into the bathroom.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Gabe lied when he told everyone he was going to Hawaii. In fact, he didn't even leave New York City on a plane. He took liberty to drive to New Brunswick, New Jersey for important business. When he arrived to his destination, the gate opened and he drove down a long driveway. Minutes later, he parked the car in front of a great white house, hopped onto the asphalt and made his way up the steps.

"Has she decided to cooperate, Malcom?" Gabe asked as he approached a fellow comrade from London. "She does realize she'll be cooped up here until she consents to the terms, right?"

"I've told her everything, Gabriel. She is too obstinate for her own good." Malcom replied. "I've tried torturing her to wits end but she still wouldn't comply."

"We'll see about that." Gabe replied as he walked down a long marbled hallway. He turn left at the end and walked down to the basement where his little prisoner his kept. Good. She's awake. "Merry Christmas, _Tori_."

"Go to hell!" Tori spat. "When I get out of here, I swear I'll tell Vincent the truth!"

"Nonsense, Miss Temper-Tantrum. As long as you refuse to comply with the terms I have given you, you will never see the light of day again." Gabe frowned. "You were saying?"

Tori spat in his face. "I knew something was wrong with you the moment you decided to bring _me_ to Reynolds's place. You _knew _I had some weird effect on Vincent and also knew both Vincent AND Catherine were in Montauk, spending Thanksgiving with that bastard of an agent! You _wanted_ me there to stir up some trouble so Reynolds would know about me."

"Confinement does wonders to your brain, I see." Gabe smirked. "I'm surprised you figured that all on your own. You see, I was merely trying to tie up loose ends. I knew Reynolds already knew that Vincent was a beast—hell, I've known for weeks that Reynolds was his handler. I figured it out months ago and decided to use him to my advantage. I needed Vincent to beast-out in front of Reynolds; that would enrage him enough to force Vincent to break up with Catherine. Then, you and Vincent made out in the apple garden—that was the highlight of my day because I definitely did not intend on that happening. However, it did, and itbroke Catherine's heart to see Vincent kissing another woman. That pushed the beast to break up with her.

"Then everything started to unfold perfectly—before I let Reynolds get away, I planted a device on him. It was simple, really, but this device created an aroma I knew Vincent could not resist—it's like a drug to any beast that ingests it. Humans cannot smell it, but it is highly scented for the sensitive nosed creatures. It enables any beast, no matter how strong their moral code is, to suddenly get enraged and it will strengthen their desire to kill by tenfold. I had planted some on that bomb-maker before you and Vincent jumped him. You were most susceptible to it because I mixed it with a strand of your hair, making the aroma stronger for you that to Vincent. That part worked perfectly; it put _my_ plan into action." Gabe smiled as he walked around Tori. "I did not, however, anticipate Catherine shooting Vincent—that was quite the drawback. I was hoping for Vincent to kill Reynolds so that I could blame his death on Catherine, and plant medieval tools in her trunk as evidence. That backfired, obviously. So I had to hire somebody to kill him off."

"Then why arrest Catherine? What did she ever do to you? I may not like her all that much but she's innocent in everything. She doesn't deserve to be locked up no more than our own species being eradicated by psychos like Reynolds."

"Innocent, yes. Though, Catherine was the perfect target to arrest—she had motive, means and opportunity to set everything up. I couldn't just frame _anybody_. That's why I brought you along with me to Montauk. I needed you to rock Vincent and Catherine's boat to lower Catherine's guard. Without Vincent, she is weaker than she thinks. Believe me, she cried on my shoulder the night she shot Vincent. How ironic that she didn't even know what was coming her way. Now, however, their bond seems stronger than ever which could prove fatal to my plans. That's why I want _you_ to visit Catherine. Convince her of how sorry you were for bailing on Vincent when he needed you most. Then, I want you to plant this," Gabe tossed up a small tightly tied bag made of cloth in front of Tori, "custom-made device in Catherine's cell. You do that for me, I'll let you pack your bags and leave New York City."

Tori laughed, "You're really stupid, aren't you?"

"Come again?"

Before Tori answered him, she broke her chains and roared at Gabe. She grabbed his neck and pinned him to the wall. "You think I was so weak to _let _you capture me?! Come on, Gabe! You're slacking! You underestimated my abilities and now I'm going to show you what I can really do."

Gabe smirked. Instantly, his eyes flared yellow and he pushed Tori off of him. He roared as loud as he could and slashed his claws into her stomach. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO UNDERESTIMATED _ME_!" In seconds, he reverted back to his human self and started walking out. As he made his way to the main foyer, he told Malcom to leave Tori in the basement to die. She was no use to him anymore, and commanded everyone to vacate the building as soon as possible. "Guess I'll have to get a little dirty this time."

Gabe hopped back into his car and started driving back to New York City. It was about a few hours away, but he needed to see his plans through. They couldn't prove Catherine's innocence if she was dead. Vincent would kill her and then he would go into so much self-loathing that he would vow to destroy every person responsible for turning him into such a monster. Gabe knew he couldn't confront all of the other Muirfield factions alone—it would be suicide; but with Vincent and his new abilities, destroying Muirfield once and for all would be a great possibility.

Gabe grinned as he made his way out of New Brunswick. He couldn't help but inwardly laugh when he saw Tori's shocked face. He had been putting on a show for everyone for the past several months by pretending to be _out_ of control with his beast when he really was in 100% control. Sure, he needed medicine to suppress the beast, but when he did turn, he was fully aware what he was doing. Why else would he have gone to JT first thing?

Tyler was in on his plans too. She lied for him, but when she was killed, he couldn't care less. That was one less thing he had to worry about because if things ever did go south, she could have easily double-crossed him. Everyone was a fool for believing that he was actually developing a resistance. He made it _seem_ that way, but he was actually cutting his pills in half and only taking half of them instead of the whole dose. As for wanting Vincent's lymphatic system? He wanted to become stronger; however, he needed everyone to believe he only wanted to conceal his beast without having to take medicine. It was ingenious. Not even Vincent could see past his lies.

To keep his beast in check, he started taking the full dosage of Tyler's medicine again, and came up with a ridiculous theory about flat-lining. Those fools. As he passed the highway marker, he chuckled. "Let the games begin."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine hugged Vincent as she lay next to him on her bed. They had spent the majority of their Christmas holiday in bed, occasionally getting up for meals or potty breaks. Sex was the highlight of her day, but it was also just as nice to relax and enjoy the comfort of her boyfriend within her arms. "I told Tess that once this whole thing blows over, you and I might be moving. I didn't say where or even if it was set in stone; I just wanted her to be prepared for anything."

"Do you want to move?" Vincent asked.

"In all honestly? I do." Catherine looked into Vincent's eyes, "I want a fresh start, you know? You, me and some lovely cottage in the middle of nowhere—preferably the mountains. New York City has been my home my whole life, and even though I love most of the people here, I want something knew, you know? I want to live in a different environment—one where we're not constantly looking over our shoulder and hoping Muirfield or some other organization doesn't find us. Plus, don't you think it would be safer for JT and for Tess if they weren't involved with our lives anymore?"

"You made a valid point," Vincent replied before kissing her fingers, "I'm game for whatever you decide. If you want to stay here, Catherine, then we can find a nice place outside the city limits. Or, if you want to leave and go to somewhere like Denver? I'll carry you across those mountains myself if I have to." Vincent kissed her forehead. "Wherever you are, Catherine, that's my home."

"Even the prison?" Catherine teased but she was serious.

"Even the prison." Vincent smiled and kissed her nose. "Speaking of which," Vincent took Catherine's hands into his own, "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"About your case. We've uncovered more evidence in your favor." Vincent replied. "However, the news won't be pleasant to hear."

"What is it?" Catherine pleaded him. Vincent pulled her into his arms and held her close to him.

"I think I know who's been framing you, Catherine." Vincent answered slowly. He waited for her to respond but she didn't. She just mentally urged him to continue. "I think it's Gabe."

Catherine jerked her head back. "What?"

"I know…I know it sounds very out there, but we found bugs in your apartment sometime yesterday. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I really didn't know when would have been the right time. The bugs in your family room and kitchen were audio devices. The ones in your bedroom and bathroom…weren't."

"What were they?"

"Video…. Before any team could show up to your apartment, I wiped my prints down and stole the two devices that were in your bedroom and bathroom. I know I shouldn't have viewed them, but I wanted to get some idea to what your framer had been watching. Amongst one of the recordings, I heard Gabe's voice as clear as day. There's no mistake that it was him, Catherine. For that, I'm sorry. You trusted him—we all did, in ways, and he's been fooling us all."

"W-what _kinds_ of things did he see?"

"You're not going to like that answer," Vincent warned her but she pleaded him to answer the question. He bit his lips and then licked them before answering her. "The footage dates back all the way to when you were in the hospital after your car wreck. He saw pretty much everything _we_ had done in your bathroom and in your bedroom…. It was sickening to watch—to find out that, all this time, _someone_ had been watching us…you know."

"And now?" Catherine asked, worried.

"We're good," Vincent replied. "Do you honestly think I would let us make love for the past 15 hours if I knew we were being watched?"

"Oh. Right." Catherine's voice faded. She was disappointed and humiliated. She had trusted Gabe! And he led her straight down into a trap! "W-what is to become of him?"

"We're working on it, love." Vincent replied as he cupped her face. "The more clues we find that it _wasn't_ you who hired a gunman to kill Reynolds, the more we are convinced it _was_ Gabe. Think about it, he had access to your work computer—he could hack into your account at any time in the night while you were in Miami. He also had access to your phone so he could have easily snatched it for a few hours and then have returned it before you noticed it missing. He also had the funds to deposit $750.00 into your account only to hack in and use it to pay for that rifle."

Catherine's head was spinning. "But…I don't understand. Why wou—"

"I haven't figured that part out yet. However, the moment he returns from his trip to Hawaii, I am going to punch his face in so hard, he'll bleed out his confession." Vincent swore to her. "I promise I won't kill him, Catherine, but I can't just sit here and watch him continue to bring you down. _Something _has to be done."

Catherine nodded. "Okay. But, before you punch the living daylights out of him, you must promise me something."

"What?"

"Let me have the first swing." Catherine muttered darkly. "He messed with my life, and you're right Vincent—he _can't_ get away with it. When I get out of jail, I'm going to make his life a living hell until he _begs_ to go to prison."

As Catherine clenched the bed sheets within her hands, Vincent pulled her fingers apart and asked, "Are you going to be all right?"

Catherine kissed Vincent and then laid her head against his warm chest. "Yeah…I will be…after I put that son of a bitch behind bars."

Vincent nodded and continued to hold her against him. "I promise you, love, _he_ will be. I swear he won't get away with any of it. Whatever he had done, he _will_ pay for his transgressions. I'll make sure of it." Vincent closed his eyes and suppressed his anger. "Just a few more days, and you'll be free."

"I hope so." Catherine mumbled against his left breast before she started planting kisses around his nipple. "Anyway, I have a little confession of my own to make." She suddenly said as she sat up and propped herself on her elbow.

"What?" He asked, curious.

"While I was spending the past few nights in jail, I was forced to face my overall fear—myself. Without any touch of socialization within those bars, I had to battle a few of my inner demons. During the night, my cell is almost always pitch-black, and I can barely sleep on that cot as is. My first night there, well before you and Tess made your visits, I was sitting on the floor of my cell in almost complete darkness. The window gave some light, but it almost was never enough.

"For the past several weeks, I had been trying to figure out who I am. I thought it was weak for me to constantly rely on you and obsess over you. Yes, to a degree, it was unhealthy, but as I sat alone in that cell, there was one person I wanted to be with. When I shot you that night, I was scared of losing you. And then, when I was arrested, I was at wits end. I might have put up a good front, but I was mortally frightened inside. I had no idea what was going on or why I was being arrested for conspiracy of murder. I had no control over my life anymore. That got me thinking…When I was young, I had my whole life planned out for me: go to law school, become a lawyer, get married, have kids…. Then I witnessed my mother's death. At that point in my life, I had lost control of all of my plans. I guess you could say it changed me for the better—I took karate lessons and went into law enforcement to prevent other daughters from losing their mothers. And, for a time, I gained control again. Then," she laughed a little, "then I met you, Vincent. Everything around us was spiraling out of control, but I learned to deal with it because you were with me every step of the way. When I lost you, I don't know…I just, I needed to be in control again—because it was the only comfort I had in my life when you weren't with me." She looked away from him and started drawing imaginary circles on his chest.

"You came back and I find out you've lost your memory—once again, my life was spiraling out of control. I could deal with it, to a sense, because you were safe—you were alive and safe. But, even so, I wanted that control back so I started pressuring you to remember us…and I obsessed over it to the point where I had no choice but to shoot you. In the end, I had no control over my choices concerning you. They were always rash, and that's what almost got you killed," she felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Even though her lip was quivering, she continued and Vincent gave her his undivided attention. "That's why I needed a break. I needed to control my life again…. The first time I lost control, you were taken away from me. The second: I almost killed you. I was afraid to lose control again. I figured if I had control over my life and kept my distance from you, you'd be safe. Now look where we are? I'm currently on house arrest until tomorrow morning, and you're working your butt off trying to set me free. In that jail cell, I have never felt so out of control before. I felt like my life was decided for me—that I was never going to get out of there. And…amongst all of that, you were always on my mind. You kept me sane inside that cell and you were the one good thing in my life I could hold on to. Through everything that has happened in the last several weeks, I am sure of one thing, Vincent." She cupped his face and kissed him on the cheek. "I have finally discovered who I am, Vincent."

"And who's that?"

"Someone who's insanely in love with man named Vincent Keller." She smiled and tangled her fingers within his hair. "You _are_ my life, Vincent. There is no possible way for me to define myself without you in the picture. Believe me," she laughed as a few tears slid down her cheeks, "I've tried."

Vincent pulled her in for a long, hot kiss. He was surprised at her lengthy confession but her words made his heart melt and his spine shiver. "We can still have those things, Catherine…."

"What?"

"I've been thinking a lot during our little break too. I had hope for us—so I thought of all of the things you've ever wanted and wondered if any of them could be possible with _us_. You know…you can have a job anywhere if we choose to move. We could also get married. We probably won't be able to use our real names, but I'm sure there's a drunken Vegas judge who would be honored to hitch us…. We could live under aliases—I know you'd rather get married with your own name, but considering the obvious, it would be safer to marry under fake names. We could also have kids—I mean, look at Tori; her father was a beast and her mother, I assume, was human. So, that proves that we could conceive if we wanted to…." Vincent was blabbering, but Catherine found it adorable. He seemed so excited to start a new life with her that she couldn't help but smile as he talked on and on about how they would live in a nice cottage in the woods and raise three mutants alongside a dog. His vision was perfect. And deep down, in her heart, she prayed that his vision would one day come true.

"Vincent," Catherine smiled and kissed him to shut him up so she could speak, "I would love a life like that with you. And…yes, I have always wanted to use my own name when getting married, but you know something?" She leaned her forehead against his, "I love _you_ more and I would marry you under any name in a heartbeat."

Vincent's eyes brightened with joy. In truth, he had always wanted to settle down and marry—that was before he became the beast though. He never thought marriage or children were even a possibility, but Catherine made him see the light. She had given him hope when he had none. He crammed his mouth to hers and rolled them over until she was trapped underneath him. "Would you marry me under the name Blanche or Gertrude?"

Catherine lifted her eyebrow. "Okay, maybe not every name."

Vincent laughed. "Thank God; those names are pretty ugly if you ask me."

"I'm glad you think so." Catherine smiled as she rubbed her nose against his.

"You know," Vincent smirked as his hands slowly slid up her stomach and rested on her chest, "If we're going to get married one day, we're going to need to practice for the honeymoon."

"Of course we do." Catherine giggled as Vincent claimed her mouth with his own. There was certainly a long road ahead for the Beauty and the Beast, but with each other, they can overcome anything—including Gabriel Lowan, the tomorrow's problem.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: WOWZERS! A lot happened in this chapter—especially a lot of VINCAT FLUFF (and more)! MORE TO COME! Let me know what you think! :)**


	7. Part 7

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**IT'S ALMOST HERE! :)**

**Oh, and not as many reviews for the last chapter as I was expecting…so I'm guessing people didn't really like it?**

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**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the Christmas holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M for adult themes in the sixth chapter. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Always**

**~Part Seven~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine slowly opened her eyes to a seemingly beautiful morning and frowned. It was already the twenty-sixth, and in a few short hours, the past two nights with Vincent would only be memories. She had no idea how long she would be in prison—all she knew was that she was being booked until her court date which will then decide her fate. Wanting to never leave her bed, she buried her head into Vincent's chest, holding him tighter. To her surprise, Vincent tightened his grip around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "Good morning," he whispered before kissing the top of her head. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," she grinned at him. "I've slept better _here_ than I have for the past week. All thanks to you."

"My pleasure." Vincent kissed her softly as he scooped her into his arms until she was lying on top of him again. Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to kiss her beast passionately.

"We have only a couple of hours left." Catherine murmured when Vincent started feathering kisses down her neck and to her collarbone. Vincent didn't seem to have heard her; he rolled them over until he was on top of her and melted his lips with her hot skin. In response, Catherine ran her fingers through Vincent's hair as she lazily turned over to look at the clock.

6:54 AM.

Good. They still had some time on their hands. Things became more heated and the lovers were anything but innocent. Every so often, Catherine would look back at the clock, but Vincent finally convinced her to just enjoy the morning. Two hours had passed and the lovers were in the shower, enjoying each other's company as hot, steamy water pelted against their bodies.

"Catherine," Vincent said as he tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I know we haven't had time to really discuss a plan or anything, but…_if_…you have to _kill _yourself in order to leave prison, would you?"

Catherine sighed. "If push comes to shove, Vincent, I'll do whatever it takes to be with you. I was going to run away with you last year—the offer still stands. Even if we both are _dead_, I'll still run away with you."

"Are you sure?" he seemed doubtful.

"Yes," Catherine cupped his face, "I am sure."

"Okay…good." Vincent sighed with relief. "I just want to prepare you of your options…the odds of us putting Gabe to jail are slim. It isn't impossible, but there's a chance we might fail. That's why I'm asking…."

"I know." Catherine nodded. Vincent gently gripped her chin with his fingers and pulled her in for a hot, wet kiss. Suddenly, he stopped moving his lips, causing Catherine to jerk her head backwards. "What's wrong?"

"Someone's on their way here…." Vincent replied as he quickly reached behind Catherine and turned off the water. Slowly, Vincent stepped out of the shower and walked over to the towel rack. He pulled a dark red one off of the bottom bracket, and tossed it to Catherine before removing a black one for himself. He walked back to the tub, stepped inside and dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waistline. Catherine had already wrapped hers around her chest, and continued to stand behind Vincent. At any cost, she could not be seen.

"_Cat?! Where are you?" _They suddenly heard Tess ask from the main room. Catherine snuck out of the bathroom to dress herself when she was standing eye-to-eye with Tess.

"Hi Tess…." She muttered awkwardly.

"Hey. Get dressed. Change of plans; I need to get you back to the prison ASAP." Tess said stoically.

"But I thought you said I had until 11:30 AM!" Catherine rebuked as if she was a small child. "It's almost 9:30!" She pulled her towel tighter across her chest and awkwardly cleared her throat when Vincent stepped out of the bathroom with his towel hanging snuggly around his waist.

"I did," Tess replied as she eyeballed Vincent's almost-perfect anatomy. Quickly, she returned her gaze to Catherine and added, "Got some intel on Gabe and he's returned to New York City. The first thing he's probably going to do is summon you, Cat, for more questioning. So, we need to get you back to the city jail before Gabe makes a little visit and finds out you've gone AWOL."

Catherine swallowed hard. "He's back? I thought he went to Hawaii and wasn't due until after New Year's."

Tess pressed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest. "That's the thing; either he had to make a sudden flight home, or…"

"…or he never went to Hawaii in the first place." Vincent interjected as he held his towel with one hand and bent down to pick up his clothes. Catherine followed suit and walked over to her hamper to pull out her prison uniform. She had meant to wash it during her little excursion, but she had sort of gotten sidetracked due to the very beautiful half-naked man in her bedroom. "By the way, did JT get you up to speed?"

"Yeah," Tess nodded. "Anyway, you and I," she looked at Vincent, "can discuss things later. Cat really needs to boogie so I'm going to wait for her in the main room. Hurry, Cat," she turned to look at her best friend, "if Gabe finds out about this little field trip, he'll have _all_ of our hides."

"Right." Catherine nodded as Tess walked out of the room. Catherine closed the door behind her former partner, and locked it. She had gathered her orange jumpsuit, but she couldn't find her prison issued sports bra or her ugly granny panties.

"Can't find something?" Vincent asked as he removed his towel and slipped up his boxers. When he pulled up his jeans and buckled them, Catherine nodded and exhaled a deep breath.

"You wouldn't happen to know where my undergarments are, would you?"

Vincent raised his eyebrows. "Ummm…you didn't have a bra on when we started to…you know."

"Right." Catherine pressed her lips together. She walked over to her hamper and bent down to dig through it. "Aha!" she exclaimed as she pulled out the white, gaudy sports bra the city jail issued her. She tossed it over to her bed where her other clothes were and started looking for her issued underwear. "Um…was I wearing those ugly panties?"

"I think so…yeah." Vincent nodded as his eye caught something white resting next to her vanity. He walked over to the vanity, bent down and picked up the item. "Uh…I don't think you can wear them anymore…." Vincent said as he showed Catherine the panties. They were ripped to shreds and couldn't be used anymore. "I think I might have gotten a little carried away the other night."

Catherine laughed. "Oh well. I hated that thing anyway. I'll just go without."

"Not that I'm complaining, but is that even allowed?" Vincent asked as he picked up her clothes and walked over to her. "Don't they do some sort of strip-check or something?"

Catherine blushed. "Uh, well, they did the first day I was admitted, but I'm sure they won't when I return. I'll be escorted by Tess so hopefully, I won't have to go through that humiliating protocol again." She let her towel drop to her ankles and grabbed the sports bra. She slipped it over her shoulders before pulling on the jumpsuit. "There. Hopefully, in a few more days, I won't have to wear this hideous thing again."

"Yeah, hopefully." Vincent nodded. He finally found his T-shirt and slid it on over his head. He pulled his arms through and straightened it out.

"Cat, are you ready?!"

"Coming!" Catherine called back through her door. Before she could leave her bedroom, Vincent pulled her in for a short but very passionate kiss. "Will I see you tonight?" she asked as she looked into his eyes.

"You bet." He whispered.

Catherine nodded and walked backwards towards her door. She turned around, opened it and was literally dragged out of her apartment by Tess, leaving Vincent to his thoughts. When she was gone, he shook his head and decided it was time to clean up the apartment. He didn't need to clean his prints—the police had already conducted a sweep. Unless they decided to charge Catherine for something else, they wouldn't return.

After picking up the place, he decided to lie back down on her bed to keep it warm. The past two nights had been heaven, and he would have to thank JT and Tess immensely for giving him the opportunity to spend Christmas with the woman he loved. He clutched his silver dog chains Catherine had given him and sighed. Soon enough, they could resume their lives. Even if they had to move and excommunicate everyone they've ever contacted with, they would be together. That's what was most important to both of them.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"So, how was it?" Tess asked the moment she threw Catherine into the car. "Was it Christmas worth your while?"

"Totally." Catherine smiled sheepishly. "Definitely productive, if you ask me."

"I'm glad you two have patched things up, Cat." Tess grinned. "I was seriously getting tired of seeing the two of you moping around. Literally, you two were like lost puppies. It was disheartening."

"I always knew I would find my way back to him, Tess." Catherine confessed. "Even though I asked him to give me some me-time a while back, I knew I would choose him. I can't explain it, Tess, but even when we were in Miami, I couldn't help but want to be with him."

"Duh, Cat, that's called sick puppy love." Tess laughed as she pulled out of the apartment complex's parking garage. "It's pretty normal."

"No. I know, Tess, but it's more than that. I mean…, I don't know…. It wasn't just a desire. I literally felt like I was going to fall apart if I didn't hear from him. Remember the night of the party? Yeah, well, I kept on hoping for Vincent to make a sudden appearance. I knew he wouldn't, but I just couldn't help but want him there with me."

"That seems normal to me, Cat. I think you're exaggerating things quite a bit." Tess said and stopped at a stoplight. "Vincent is the love of your life—that's a fact. What you were experiencing was nothing more than withdrawal symptoms. Relax, Cat."

Catherine closed her eyes as she tried to think of a way to explain herself. "Okay...well I think they were definitely more than simply withdrawal symptoms. I can't explain it, Tess; I don't expect you to understand me, but I couldn't shake him out of my mind. It was like he was encoded into my brain and laced into every thought. When I was following him as he was tracking down Li Zhao, there was a moment between us…. I was sure he was on to me, but I quickly hid from him. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he stopped and turned around for a few seconds. It was like I could sense him watching me. This might sound crazy, but I swear that I heard his heart beat in sync with mine."

"Okay, Miss Poet; I get it. Something seems to be going on between the two of you and its more than just love and sex." Tess replied, "I can't make much out of it but you have to remember, Cat; your mother was a scientist for Muirfield and your father worked for Muirfield before he went all Beast-Hunter-mode. Vincent was also a part of Muirfield….so it's possible that you two were somehow scientifically linked…. I'm no nerd but that's just my theory."

"You think it's possible that my mom did something to me or to Vincent to make us so drawn to each other?" Catherine asked as Tess pulled up to the city jail. "That's a little bizarre, don't you think?"

"Cat, when in your life _hasn't_ something been bizarre?" Tess asked.

"Good point."

Tess helped Catherine out of the vehicle and they quickly made their way inside the jail. To Catherine's luck, Ted was present and did not request a strip-check. He simply led the women back to Catherine's cell and removed her ankle monitor.

"Thanks, UT," Tess smiled as she patted Ted on the shoulder.

"Don't make me do that again," Ted replied quietly, "it was risky and we almost got caught. Gabe came by earlier; he wanted to see Catherine. I told him you were in the shower," he looked at Catherine, "he bought it this time, but I doubt he will the next."

"Right. Thanks." Catherine nodded as Ted locked her back in her cell. Ted left the two without a word and headed back to the main entrance. She walked back to her stiff, unwelcoming cot and sat down with a huff. "You think I'll ever get out of here?"

"One way or another…" Tess replied, hinting the _last resort_ plan. "Cat, it's not going to be easy."

"I know." Catherine nodded and raked her hair back. "But it's worth the fight. Besides, if at all possible, I want to ensure that son of a bitch is thrown in jail for the rest of his life."

"Don't we all." Tess smirked. "Anyway, I've gotta get to work. We'll chat later?"

"Yeah." Catherine nodded. "Keep me posted."

"Will do."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Later that afternoon, Catherine was escorted from the city jail to the police station. She feared that more evidence was piling up against her even though she knew she was one hundred percent innocent. She was led to the interrogation room and was forced to sit down by her accompanying guard, who then stood behind her as they waited for Gabe and Therese to enter the room. A few minutes later, Therese arrived and Gabe followed suit.

"Good morning, Miss Chandler." Gabe smiled as he took his seat.

Catherine, however, did not say anything.

"Do you know why you're here?" Gabe asked, hoping his perpetrator would talk.

Still, Catherine said nothing.

"Okay. Since you're not going to talk, _again_, I'll just tell you what else I have uncovered." Gabe said as he folded his hands together. "Although we couldn't find the gun that the shooter you hired had used, we did find something more intriguing and useful. You see, we tracked down the bank which created the shooter's temporary account, and requested the name of the owner of the account number. At first, they weren't willing to comply because the owner requested to remain anonymous but after telling them that they would be obstructing justice for denying my request, they quickly sent the name over. Guess what I found out." Catherine stared Gabe straight into the eyes but didn't say a word. She wanted to look him in the eyes as he lied to her face. "No? Okay. In case no one has told you yet, Catherine Chandler, the shooter turns out to be Bobby Simpson. Does that name ring a bell?"

Catherine inwardly choked. Bobby Simpson was one of her ex-boyfriends she dated back in high school! Quietly, she said, "Yes."

"When was the last time you made contact with Bobby?" Gabe asked.

"I haven't heard nor talked to him since high school." Catherine replied. It was the dead honest truth. How did Gabe know whom she was dating in high school? Has he kept tabs on her for that long? Did someone tell him about her exes? Surely not.

"Is that so? Because I spoke to him earlier this morning, Catherine, and he confessed to everything. He told me that _you_ asked him to kill Reynolds and that he would expect payment to be delivered after the job was done. Oh, and I think he mentioned something about extra payment—something you must have promised him if he did a good job. He sounded so hopeful and excited. Tell me, Catherine, what _did_ you promise him? A new puppy? A new house? Sex?" Gabe smirked. He just _had_ to add that little tidbit at the end to piss off his target.

Catherine jerked forward, ready to punch Gabe. Unfortunately, she was instantly grabbed from behind and forced to bend over the table. "Did I touch a nerve?" Gabe asked.

"I have _nothing_ to say to you." Catherine spat.

"Okay, and I think that's enough." Therese finally butted in. "Defense Attorney Lowan, once again you are speculating. I suggest you stick to questions concerning the case or this meeting is over."

"Very well," Gabe nodded his head, "Where were you, Catherine, on December 9th, 2013. In case you need a recap, it was two days before the prison guard found your father dead—with a _bullet_ in his head."

Catherine took in a deep breath. "I was in Florida, visiting my sister, Heather. You can check with her as well as call the airlines to confirm the purchase of my ticket. Tess paid for it so it would be under her financials."

"Oh, I have no doubt that you were in Florida, Catherine. Besides, it's the perfect alibi, isn't it? Go somewhere miles away while someone else kills your father. Genius, Catherine, genius. However, you weren't banking on getting caught, were you?" Gabe leaned towards her and stared into her eyes. "A rifle was purchased in your name through your PayPal account a week before your father was murdered and was delivered to Bobby three days later. Care to enlighten me on that?" Gabe straightened himself up before folding his arms across his chest.

"My client was at home a week before her father was murdered. She was grieving over the fact that she had to arrest her father in the first place." Therese replied as she pushed up her glasses.

"I didn't ask _you_, Therese. I asked Catherine."

"She's not obligated to answer." Therese said and then turned to Catherine, "Don't answer anything."

"Catherine," Gabe leaned back over, "As a friend—"

"You are no friend of mine," Catherine cut him off, wanting to spit into his face.

Gabe tensed. "Fair enough. I _did_ arrest you, but believe me; I'm just doing my job. Now, just tell the truth. All right? That's all I'm asking." Gabe rolled his shoulders back and aligned his back with his chair.

Catherine pressed her lips together and scowled. Just as she was about to say something, Therese cut in again. "I'm sorry, but my client has been 100% honest from the start, Mr. Lowan. If you think otherwise, then I suggest you bring your complaints to court because as far as this interrogation goes, we're done."

"Oh, don't worry Therese. I _plan _on it." Gabe challenged. "All right; I guess we're done here. Nothing seems to be getting done anyway." Gabe left the interrogation room and Therese looked at Catherine.

"Catherine, is there _anything_ I need to know right now—anything you're hiding from me?"

Catherine swallowed. "No." She couldn't help but lie about her testimony. She knew she would really be guilty if someone found out she was lying to protect her boyfriend. She couldn't risk anything—she loved him and would lie as many lies as she needed to in order to save his life.

Therese sighed. Catherine was sure she knew that she was lying. "Very well. I'll see you later then." She walked out of the interrogation room and left Catherine with her escort. Minutes later, Catherine was roughly escorted back to the jail to spend yet another night in her dreary cell.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent finally made his way back to the Gentlemen's Guild, and was surprised to see JT smiling. "What's with you?" he asked as he approached his best friend.

"I think I found something, V! I literally think _this_ will be able to clear Catherine!" JT smiled even wider. "See?"

Vincent leaned over the professor and looked at the computer screen. "Okay…what am I looking at?"

"I hacked into her PayPal again and traced the IP address used to purchase that rifle. Get this: the computer used for the purchase was none other than Catherine's work computer." JT replied.

"Okay, and how does that prove that my girlfriend is innocent?" Vincent folded his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrow.

"Because, the date the gun was purchased was _while_ Catherine was in Miami. Meaning; there's no friggin' way she could have purchased it!" JT exclaimed. "That corroborates with the dual cell phone evidence."

"By the nuance in your voice, JT, you sound like you've caught something big." Tess smiled as she walked into the guild. "I have a two-hour break so hit me with what you've got."

"Okay…" JT blushed and Vincent easily caught it but dismissed it, "First off, are your work computers password protected?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Is there any way someone _else _besides Cat would know her password?" JT asked.

"Well," Tess pressed her lips together and placed her hands on her hips, "the head of the department has a list of all of the passwords in his desk. Wait, do you think Gabe used Cat's work computer to purchase that gun?"

"No," JT shook his head, "I _know_ Gabe, or someone if not Gabe, used Cat's work computer. I checked the IP address and it led to Cat's work computer. The best part? The transaction was made while you and Catherine were in Miami, enjoying some alcoholic drink that would make my brain turn to goo."

"Are you sure?" Tess asked, causing both JT and Vincent to nod their heads.

"When it comes to hacking computers, JT's never wrong." Vincent stated. "Looks like I have some good news to deliver to Catherine tonight."

"Looks like my break is over," Tess said as she looked at her nonexistent watch on her wrist, "I've gotta pitch that IP address idea to the IT department. Sorry, JT, but the judge won't accept evidence founded by a hacker. I'll make sure to hint at them to trace back the IP address from the purchase. Then once they've found what you've found, I'll take the evidence to my eldest brother, Anthony. Perhaps he could help—he's the chief of the 23rd precinct in Manhattan. I know it's a long shot but with Gabe masterminding the whole thing, it's better to get a second opinion."

"Good idea." Vincent nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Tess. I know you and I have had our disputes, but I really appreciate the loyalty you have for Catherine."

"If it's for Cat, I'm in 100%!" Tess exclaimed. "Anyway, I'll see you two brainiacs later." Without another word, Tess left the guild.

Vincent turned around to look at his best friend and chuckled.

"What?" JT raised his eyebrow when he noticed that Vincent was staring at him. "Why are you laughing?"

"When Tess was here, JT, I could hear your heart beating louder than the pumping of my own blood. You really like her, don't you." Vincent said as he sat down on the couch. JT stood up and stretched his shoulders.

"Yeah…but don't say anything to Cat about it. Let's just wait until this case blows over, okay?" JT waved his hands into the air, begging Vincent to keep his trap shut.

"All right. If you say so."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"You're being summoned to the phone room." Her escort said as he unlocked her cell.

"Okay." Catherine nodded. She stood up and walked away from her cell, and walked down the hall as her stomach growled unhappily. For the past several hours, she hadn't eaten anything. It wasn't because the food was horrible; she just didn't want to deal with the other inmates. She would rather starve than risk getting beaten again. She was weaker than when she first arrived to jail. It had only been about five days, but with little to no food in her system, save for the past two nights, she didn't have as much stamina to face them. On top of that, she was still healing from her wounds from before. She knew it was probably a good idea _not _to have sex when her body was still a little bit sore, but she couldn't just ignore such an opportunity when she figured she might not be having sex with her boyfriend for a very long while. Finally, when she arrived to the phone room, Therese was sitting on the other side of the wall with the phone next to her ear. Catherine sat down in front of her lawyer and picked up the phone. "Yes?"

"Catherine," Therese paused, "I'm afraid I cannot support your case anymore."

"W-what?"

"With all of this evidence going against you, I just can't. I know a guilty person when I seen one, and when you're lying to my face, I refuse to work with someone who cannot be honest with me. I know Tess believes in you, and that's fine, but I have to look at the evidence. If you cannot confide in me and tell me what's really going on, I'm afraid I can't help you. I'm sorry."

Before Catherine could say anything, Therese got up and walked away. Catherine pressed her lips together and released a heavy sigh. She tried to convince herself that Therese's sudden leave was for the best. She was right, however. Catherine _was_ lying to Therese. When she was led back to her cell, she mentally cursed. _That's why I didn't want a lawyer in the first damn place!_

Several hours passed, and Catherine was wide awake, waiting for Vincent to make an appearance. He promised her he would visit so he was the only reason she mentally survived the day. If not for his promise, she would surely break down for losing her lawyer's trust. She didn't know what time it was, but sometime late into the night, perhaps midnight or 1 AM, Catherine saw a shadow walking towards her cell. She waited until she could see the shadow's face before racing up to him.

"Hey," she heard the shadow quietly say as he made his way towards her cell door. Catherine stood up and raced to him. She gripped the bars and leaned her head against the door before she felt her visitor kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"It's okay," she mumbled low, knowing that he would hear her anyway. "I'm just glad you're here." She looked at him and smiled as he slid his arm through the bars and caressed her right cheek. She leaned into his touch and kissed his palm when she noticed the bag he was holding with this other hand. "What's in there?"

"Oh! Right." Vincent suddenly removed his hand from her face and started digging inside of the bag. "I didn't know how much they feed you in this place, so I brought some food. It's not much but it will keep your stamina up." He pulled out half a loaf of bread and handed it to her. Almost immediately, Catherine placed the bread to her mouth and started eating the food. At this point, she didn't care how sloppy she was eating the loaf—she was too hungry to worry about manners. "Hungry?"

She nodded but didn't lift her lips off of the bread to answer him verbally. He waited until she was finished before handing her the rest of her stuff. "I brought over a couple of things to help you pass the time during the day." He slipped a few books through the bars as well as a pen and her diary. "I brought an extra blanket too."

"Thanks." Catherine smiled as she placed the items underneath her cot. She didn't know how often the guards check the cells but since these items weren't given to her through procedure, she had to make sure to hide it.

"No problem." He replied and slipped his hand back through the bars to support the back of her head as he pulled her to him to kiss her lips. He kissed her once…twice before pulling away. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." Catherine whispered. "Vincent, we have a problem."

"What?"

"My lawyer—she bailed on me. She said she can't support me because she knows I'm not being honest with her." Catherine replied as she felt Vincent wrap his arms around her waist. "I can't blame her for quitting on me—I mean, nothing's worse than lying in court."

"I can think of a few things…" Vincent replied then added, "Catherine, you don't have to continue protecting me if it means you have to lie in court. I would rather you tell the truth, then have you face other charges if you're caught lying."

"No," Catherine shook her head, "I've already lost you once when I opened my big, fat mouth to Gabe the _first_ time. I'm not going to lose you again. I will handle this just like I've handled all of the crap in my life—blind faith." Catherine smiled and cupped his face.

"Catherine, this isn't exactly the same ordeal as everything else…." Vincent reminded her. "On a lighter note, we found some evidence to help clear your name." Catherine closed her eyes and could feel tears starting to fall. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen today?"

"It doesn't seem to matter what JT, Tess or even you find, Vincent. Even if you do find _some_ evidence to possibly clear me, the evidence against me keeps piling up. Gabe told me they found the sniper…." Catherine paused and pulled her hands away from her boyfriend's face to rake her hair back. She swallowed hard and continued as a tear fell from her eye, "The sniper is Bobby Simpson."

"Is he someone you know?" Vincent asked.

Catherine nodded. "He and I dated in high school….and he confessed against me."

"Doesn't he know it wasn't you?"

"No!" she stepped backwards and immediately lowered her voice, "I don't know," Catherine shook her head, "We had a bad falling out—I broke up with him and he hated me for that. I guess this could be some sort of revenge on his part…. I just…I don't know who to trust anymore, Vincent! I put my trust in Gabe, and this is what I get for it. I put my trust in Therese only to see her walk with her tail between her legs. I trusted Reynolds, and he's the whole reason I'm in this mess!" She clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs. She was exhausted and stressed, and all of her pain was catching up to her again.

"Hey, come here," Vincent said as he reached out to her. Catherine walked over to him and he pulled her into his arms as best as he could. He hated seeing her cry; no matter what seemed to happen, his girlfriend never seems to be able to catch a break. He kissed her forehead and then her nose before removing her hand to kiss her lips. "We'll figure things out, okay? I know trust seems to be limited nowadays, you still have me, Tess and JT on your side, love." Vincent whispered. "I promise _I'll _always be on your side."He felt Catherine nod her head against him and the bars. "I promise…" he kissed her head and held her in silence for several minutes.

"Vincent," Catherine finally said but didn't move away from his arms, "I've been thinking about something…."

"What?"

"As long as Catherine Chandler is alive, Muirfield or any other faction that knows about you will never stop looking for her. Am I correct?"

"If they know you're connected to me, then yeah. Why?" Vincent asked curiously.

"Because. I'm tired of waiting for the damned system to pull through. I want out, Vincent, and I'd rather 'die' in this godforsaken place than live with the hope of freedom as I wait for my trial to take place. I don't care what it takes anymore, Vincent; I want out of here."

Vincent pulled back and forced her to look at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Vincent. As much as I want to believe I will be freed, I don't have much hope for me anymore. I love you, Vincent, and I'd rather live with you somewhere that's not here for the rest of our lives and hideaway from Muirfield…." Catherine replied as she wiped her tears away.

Vincent cupped her face and leaned his head against hers as best as he could. "Okay, then. Somewhere deep inside, I had a feeling that the situation might come to this, love. So I've prepared a plan just in case."

"What is it?"

"We should char you to the bone." Vincent replied.

"No. Too obvious. Gabe will recognize the pattern."

"Right. Plan B then."

"Which is?"

"Drowning." Vincent replied.

"How will that even work? I can't drown on the water they give me much less in the shower." Catherine raised her eyebrow, causing Vincent to laugh.

"You didn't let me finish, love." Vincent cupped her face. "But before I continue with my plan, are you prepared for a few injuries and possibly some blood loss?"

"I'll do whatever I have to." Catherine replied instantly.

"Okay….within one of your books, I have bookmarked it with my Plan B written out in detail. Tomorrow, read it, but act like you're just reading the book. It will detail everything, all right? Just let me know when you want this to happen, and we will make it work."

Catherine nodded. "All right…how about in three nights?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Okay…but, I think we should _not_ tell Tess or JT about the plan. Gabe's going to question them and if they know I'm alive, Gabe will find a way to figure it out. No one can know about this except for us, Vincent. No one. Once I get to a safe place, you return to New York City. Attend my funeral in the shadows. If Gabe sees you, he'll think it was legit. However, you'll need to be the best damn actor you can be in order to fool him."

"Good idea." Vincent smirked. "I always knew you were smarter than me."

"That's a joke, right?" Catherine laughed lightly. "Just think about it, Vincent; in a few days, you and I can finally start looking forward to our future again."

"Who says we can't right now?" Vincent asked as he pulled her in for a kiss. "In a few years, you and I will be living in a nice cottage within the mountains…who knows, we may even have some kids by then." He shrugged.

"I'd like that very much," Catherine smiled and kissed him again.

"We'll be traveling mostly at night, Catherine…." Vincent said, "And we probably will have to either steal a car or take bus after bus until we reach Denver. I'll figure the bus routes tonight. I still have those fake ID cards in possession so we can use those for our trip and once we arrive in Denver, we can contact JT and Tess."

"How?"

"Don't worry, JT and I figured that out years ago." Vincent smiled. "Now, I want _you_ to get some rest, my love. You'll need to be in top shape to travel in the upcoming days. Okay?"

"Okay." Catherine nodded. She kissed him goodnight and pulled away to let him go. "Bye," she smiled as she started walking backwards towards her bed. "I love you."

"Me too." Vincent grinned and then vanished, leaving her breathless. Could they really pull this off? Could it really work?

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**Meanwhile…**

Gabe sat in his office and stared at the tiny clothed bag sitting on his desk. In two nights, Catherine Chandler will be dead…, and Vincent would have no one to blame but himself.

_While Catherine is taking her shower at 6 AM in the morning, I will sneak in to her cell, plant this little booby trap underneath her pillow, and wait for the following morning's six o'clock news to learn of Catherine Chandler's tragic death. I know Vincent has been visiting his girlfriend, so Saturday night will mark his last._

Yes, it was the _perfect_ plan.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: Sorry for the late update! I have a clear view of where I want this fanfiction to go so I will finish this one up before finishing my other ones! If I write this much for each chapter, I should be done in about 5 chapters. Ooooo what I have planned is going to be a biggie. **

**Let me know what you think! ^_^ **


	8. Part 8

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**CONGRATULATIONS KRISTIN KREUK & CW'S **_**BEAUTY & THE BEAST **_**FOR WINNING THE PCA! :)**

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**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M for adult themes in the sixth chapter. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Always**

**~Part Eight~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**TWO WEEKS LATER **

_**(timeline will be explained within chapter)**_

While Catherine was in the showering room, Gabe requested to deliver something to her cell. He told the guards it was of vital importance and for Catherine Chandler's eyes only. Not wanting to lose their jobs, the guards allowed Gabe to attend Catherine Chandler's cell alone. Smirking at the power he had over the city jail, Gabe walked down the corridor with stride. Tonight would be the night that Catherine Chandler would be killed by an _animal _attack. He needed her dead because if she were alive, JT, Tess and Vincent wouldn't stop in order to clear her name. However, if she was dead, there wouldn't be a point to proceed with the off-the-record investigation.

His plan was coming together quite nicely, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Vincent's face when he finds out what the beast had done to Catherine Chandler. When he entered her cell, he quickly held his breath, poked a hole into the bag, placed the hex bag underneath Catherine's bed and raced out of the corridor when he heard footsteps rounding the corner. He couldn't risk smelling the aroma—if he did, he might be compromised.

The moment he left the city jail, he headed for the precinct. He was due for work in an hour and wanted to be in his office a little bit early before the morning rush could begin.

Although he had told Tori a few weeks back that he wanted _her_ to execute his plans, he decided to do them himself. However, he needed to wait a few weeks to throw off any suspicion anyone might have. Catherine's court date had yet to be decided, and if his plans go accordingly, it never will. Catherine would be dead by nightfall.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent stared at the wall after waking up from a long night of visiting his girlfriend in jail. A few weeks ago, he told her he was going to fake her death. Everything was planned, but because of the horrible snowstorms, he couldn't guarantee safety when taking Catherine to the Catskills. So, the next night, he told Catherine they had to wait a while until the weather let up. Tomorrow night was the decided night and he had to make preparations.

Vincent felt horrible about not telling JT or Tess of his and Catherine's plan. He wanted to, but Catherine was right—the dynamic duo needed to stay within the dark. At least for a little while. His plan was simple, but risky. If something went wrong, both of them could lose their lives. However, he was willing to do everything he could on his part to ensure the love of his life 'dies' safely. As he started to prepare everything for _the plan_, JT called for him.

"VINCENT! COME HERE! QUICK!"

In seconds, Vincent raced into the lounge and found JT glued to his computer seat. "What is it, man?"

"You won't believe this…" JT replied as he motioned for the beast to look at his computer screen to watch some sort of broadcasted newsfeed.

"_A fatal tragedy occurred sometime yesterday within New Brunswick, New York, and about an hour ago, five bodies were found inside the home of British General Malcom Middleton, himself included. Their bodies were ripped apart and mauled by some sort of rabid animal—perhaps a dog. The investigation is still going and other than the general, the four other victims' names have yet to be released. Until the police of New Brunswick have captured the monster responsible for these murders, the chief advises all residents to lock their doors and let nobody inside. Live at New Brunswick, Kelly Thompson. News 4." _

JT muted the rest of the broadcast and looked at Vincent.

"Don't look at me!" Vincent defended himself as he took a step backwards and waved his hands in front of his chest, "I've been in Manhattan this entire time!"

"I know it wasn't you. The question is: if not you, then who? Could it have been Tori? I mean, she _has_ been AWOL for the last several weeks so for all we know, she's been on a killing spree." JT replied and then gulped. "If it _was_ Tori, how should we approach the situation?"

"I don't know…., but I don't think she's been on a killing spree, JT. If she was, there would be more reports leading up to now, but there hasn't been." Vincent said as he folded his arms across his chest. "Perhaps I should go over to New Brunswick and investigate?"

"NO!" JT stood up and ran in front of Vincent. "We already have enough problems as it is, V; you don't need to complicate things further by investigating something that could very well be a normal psycho killer."

Vincent sighed. "You're right."

"I-I am?" JT questioned his best friend's answer.

"Yeah," Vincent nodded, "I mean, there _is_ a lot going on over here. The last thing we need is to get involved with something that might be nothing…at least nothing that deals with our current case that is. Anyway, instead, I need to borrow your car today."

"Why?"

"Well, when we _do_ free Catherine, she and I need a place to stay for a while. She asked me if I could take her out of the city, you know? So, I was thinking about having us stay in my family's cabin for a few weeks. The deed is still in the Keller family name so I'd like to drive up there and clean the place out a bit. You know, make it more welcoming." Vincent took in a deep breath, hoping his best friend would buy his story.

"Fine. All right." JT sighed. "You're lucky it's Christmas vacation still."

"Thanks man." Vincent smiled. "I'll be back sometime in the afternoon."

"All right, be safe. I'll call you if there are any complications over here."

"Sounds good." Vincent said as he disappeared. He hopped into JT's blue Hatchback and made his way to the woods he had once saved Catherine in. He had never told Catherine this, but the night he had saved her was a random coincidence. He wasn't tracking anyone or anything—he had simply made a trip to the woods to add more money to his dirt-covered bank. On his way back to the car that night, he heard screaming and darted toward the source. Never did he think one little money trip would send his life into a spiral of protecting the one woman he would ever love more than his own mother.

After retrieving a good sum of money, he pushed the dirt back into the earth and headed for JT's car, spending the next two hours and twenty minutes driving up to the Catskills. He never intended to go to his old family cabin—it would be too obvious of a place if Gabe or someone else were to figure out what he and Catherine had been planning. However, he did give JT a clue though. For as long as possible, he and Catherine were going to live in the Catskills through renting a cabin with cash he had saved up from his years as a doctor.

JT should be able to figure out the clue after Catherine's _funeral_. Later, once they were settled in, he would make a trip to the cabin and drop another note, but until the plan was in action, he decided it was best to keep a low profile.

He traveled around Catskill, New York, trying to find the best suitable place for him and his girlfriend to stay in. He spoke to one man—the innkeeper so to speak—and asked for his advice. The innkeeper suggested a private getaway. It would cost about $1820 per week and owner of the home did accept cash as payment. There would be internet connections and gives clients a great view of the mountains.

"Would you like to book your stay now?" the manager asked as he opened up his tiny booklet. "I can schedule you in anytime for a minimum of two nights."

Vincent nodded his head. "We plan on renting for at least three weeks, but would like to pay the money one night at a time in case we need to leave for home. Is that doable."

"Sure is," the innkeeper smiled. "I can clear the calendar for three weeks starting late tomorrow night. You pay me $600 for the first two nights of your stay and then we can take it from there. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great." Vincent nodded. "Let me get the money from my trunk and I'll have it in a few seconds."

"I'll be waiting," the innkeeper smiled before Vincent turned around and walked out of the small WELCOME TO THE CATSKILLS building. He popped the Hatchback's trunk and buried his hand into the bag of cash, pulling out 6 $100 bills. He closed the door of the trunk and walked back into the Cabins 101 office.

"Here." He said and handed the innkeeper the money. "Figured my doctor's salary should finally be put to some good use." Vincent joked. The last thing he wanted was for the manager to think he was some kind of bank robber.

"You're a doctor?"

"Well, was." Vincent replied. "I'm sort of in transition right now. Once my girlfriend and I find a place to settle down, I plan on retaking my boards. The stay, here, is sort of a way for us to enjoy New York one last time before we leave the state."

The innkeeper smiled. "Well, I hope you and your girlfriend will enjoy it here. It's a nice and quiet place, and it's perfect for anyone who's trying to escape the city." Vincent nervously chuckled at the manager's statement. "Right, so what name shall I put the reservations under?"

"Hollister." Vincent said. "Peter Hollister."

"All right, Mr. Hollister, it looks like everything is settled." The innkeeper replied and handed Vincent a folder. "Inside the folio, you will find directions to the private getaway. It will also explain the different payment methods; provide a map for the region so you can buy groceries when needed and etcetera. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Nope." Vincent smiled. "That should do it."

"All right! I hope you have a safe trip home, Mr. Hollister."

"I will." Vincent nodded and left the office. He quickly left the small town and headed back to Manhattan so he could finish packing his things before going to Catherine's to gather up her things as well.

He would pack lightly, taking things they would absolutely need to make their traveling less conspicuous. He would take his military bag and stuff it with everything he needed for a few nights since he planned on showing up for Catherine's 'funeral' a few days later.

_Soon, Catherine, you and I will be able to enjoy our lives together without Muirfield and without Gabe constantly on our shoulders. _

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

While Vincent was gone, Tess and JT decided to go over everything they had on Gabe thus far. It was substantial but it couldn't directly point to Gabe, himself. Sure, he had the means and opportunity, but the motive? That still was unclear. Also, the judge could easily point out that the activity done on the computer could have been done by anyone. Yes, that might get Catherine free, but it wouldn't charge Gabe with anything.

"_Something _has got to connect the case to him!" JT raked his curly, black hair back in frustration. "I mean, yeah, we have footage that Gabe was in Cat's bedroom, setting up that camera, but he was wearing a mask. So the evidence is faulty!"

"Not to mention the fact that _that_ particular video has Vincent in the feed. As much as I wanted to hand it over to IT, JT, I couldn't risk someone pinning Catherine's framing on him. It would have been too easy for Gabe to do that too." Tess replied. "But you're right, there _has_ to be something."

As the two sat down to go over the evidence another time, the front door busted open and they saw Tori walk inside. She had blood all over her clothing—clearly not hers—and was acting frantic. Tess placed her hand on her gun and JT grabbed the tranquilizer gun. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Honestly, if I wanted you dead, JT, you would be already." Tori said and rolled her eyes. She was grateful that her beast strain was not the same as Vincent's. Yes, she could do some of the same things as him, but one thing she's discovered: she could self-heal. It took a day or so, but the lashes Gabe had made on her stomach finally healed, making her a very angry beast. "Look, I didn't come here to cause any trouble. Once I've said my peace, I'll leave. Where's Vincent?"

"He's out of town—went to check up on something." JT replied. "Why?"

"Good. It's better he's far away from here." Tori said.

"Again; I ask why." JT reiterated himself as he took a step towards the redheaded beast. "You show up here with tons of blood stained on your clothes, and you expect me to trust you? You have some nerve, Tori."

"Save the trust/don't trust crap for another day. If you want to make sure your best friend, Vincent, doesn't rip his girlfriend up to shreds, you better shut your trap and listen to me." Tori said as she folded her arms across her chest. "It's your call."

Tess and JT remained silent.

"Good. Okay, so in case you guys were wondering where I've been for the past month or so, I was held captive in New Brunswick." Tori explained.

"So those killings _were_ done by you." JT deduced, not lowering the tranq. "How did you even get here without someone seeing all of that blood on you?!"

"Duh, it's called subway routes!" Tori rolled her eyes. "_Anyway_, like I said: I was held against my own will in New Brunswick. Gabe had kidnapped me when I tried to fetch you because Vincent was bleeding to death! He was stupid not to blindfold me when he drove me to New Brunswick, and he deposited me at this white mansion owned by some British general. I never caught his name, but I think I was supposed to be some bargaining chip? I don't know, but the general and Gabe wanted me to do something for them. I refused simply because I care about Vincent and know he deeply loves Catherine even when he can't remember her.

"After weeks and weeks of refusing to do their bidding, Gabe left me for dead and decided to do the job himself." Tori lifted up her shirt partway to show Tess and JT the scars on her stomach. "Yeah, he gave me these, thinking I would die from them. After a day or so, I healed and waited in the basement for days. With Gabe thinking I was dead, I decided to strike. Killed everyone in the building guilty of my capture. _Don't worry_, none of them were innocent. They were all douchebags, so put your moral compasses to rest."

"Wait, _Gabe_ gave that to you?!" JT suddenly responded and raised his eyebrow. "That looks like a mark made by a wild bear!"

"Exactly. Gabe has been lying to all of you from the start—he _never_ lost his beast. I don't know how it works or whatever, but he's still a full-fledged beast. The scary part? He's been able to manipulate _all_ of you into his custom-made mass-destructive chessboard." Tori replied, causing both Tess and JT's mouths to drop open. "I can't believe _I_ was the only one to realize he was up to something."

"We knew Gabe was the one framing Cat, but to find out he's still a beast?! How's that even possible?" Tess asked looking at JT.

JT sighed and rubbed his temples. "His pills are designed to mask his beasty side effects…. Last year, he told us he was developing a resistance…. That bastard. My guess? He was actually only taking a partial dose to make him seem like he was losing control. Also, I bet, when he _is_ in beast-mode, he still has as much control over his body as he does when he appears human. Shit! I've gotta call V and let him know!"

"NO!" Tori exclaimed. "If you call Vincent, the first thing he's going to do is attack Gabe. Then, Gabe is going to attack back. The precinct Gabe works at will wonder what the hell is going on and someone might just get caught in the middle of it! Come on! Use your brain here! Vincent doesn't just think about things—he's all action!"

"For once, JT, Tori's right. Besides, our main concern should be Catherine. What if…what if Gabe was trying to get Catherine alone so he could kill her? He never had a chance with Vincent in the way, but now that she's in prison, he has a better chance of getting the job done." Tess widened her eyes in horror.

"Not quite," Tori interjected. "Gabe wants _Vincent_ to kill Catherine."

"Come again?" JT and Tess said in unison.

"You heard me. Don't act dumb." Tori rolled her eyes. "Basically, he has this hex bag crap…. I assume he has a lot of them….but they have some sort of aroma only beasts can smell. It's intoxicating when the stuff is unraveled. Believe me; I smelled it on the bomb-maker. That's why I accidentally killed him. He was covered in that foreboding smell. Gabe confessed to dousing him with it too. Anyway, he did the same thing to Reynolds and that's why Vincent flipped even when his relationship with Catherine was at stake. Now, one of you needs to make sure Vincent doesn't visit Catherine until that stuff is removed. It will enrage him for no reason and he'll attempt to kill anyone immersed within the smell. If you say Vincent's out of town right now, you better get to work."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Tess raised her eyebrow. "You've been pretty manipulative yourself in the past, too, Tori."

"I know I have. Look, believe what you want. I've said what I came here for. If you want to chance Catherine's fate, by all means, go right ahead. Don't wait for me to say, I told you so." Before the cop and the professor could respond, Tori vanished. Perhaps even for good.

"What do you want to do?" JT asked Tess as he tried to process the information about Gabe and his beast. "Confront Gabe? Check Cat's cell?"

Tess sighed. "If Vincent comes back and wants to visit Catherine, keep him here until I give the okay. I'll go to the city jail and check out Cat's cell. If it's true, I'll also inform her of what Tori told us—who knows? That might make her see her boyfriend in a brighter light."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan." JT nodded as Tess stood up and walked towards the front door. "If need be, I'll tranq him."

"You do that." Tess smirked before she turned around and walked out of the precinct. One of these days, JT was going to confront her and ask her what she feels for him. Now wasn't the time, but after the Gabe debacle? Perhaps.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Tess flashed her badge and was granted permission to visit Catherine's cell. She said she had some information regarding the case that needed to be told to Cat directly. No phones, no wires, nothing. When she approached her best friend's cell, she frowned. Catherine was shivering, and hovering over her toilet. "Cat, what's wrong?"

"I think I just caught some bug," Catherine replied. "I woke up this morning feeling nauseated, and soon after my shower, I couldn't seem to keep any of my meals down. I'm sure I'll be good as new tomorrow morning." Catherine smiled.

Tess motioned for the guard to open up the jail cell for her. He walked back away after locking the detective inside and told her he'd be back in ten minutes. She walked in and rushed to her friend's side. "You need to take better care of yourself. Did you see the doctor on call?"

"Yeah," Catherine sat up and wiped her mouth. "Basically told me everything I already knew. It's just one of those things that only time can heal. Anyway," she swallowed her bile, "enough worrying about me. What's up?"

Tess handed Catherine an elastic band to pull her hair back, and said, "Notice anything different in your cell? Like, is there something in her that's not supposed to be?"

"Other than me?" Catherine raised her eyebrows, "Not that I can think of. Why?"

"Tori…she…she came by today…. Long story short: she was captured by Gabe and held against her will. She eventually made it out, and came straight to Manhattan to warn us of something."

"What?"

"Here's the strange part; she thinks Gabe will plant something in your cell…something that serves as a drug to Vincent." Tess replied. "Check underneath your pillow and bed. It might be there."

"Okay…?" Catherine stood up, but instantly fell back down. She felt weak and wobbly. "Maybe you should do it. I'm still a little nauseated."

Tess nodded and checked under Cat's pillow. Nothing. She then bent down and looked under Cat's cot. Instantly, she spotted the hex bag Gabe had placed in there earlier and reached for it. She pulled it out and quickly stuffed it into her pocket to dispose of later.

"Did you find anything?" Catherine asked quietly.

"Yeah," Tess muttered, but it's best I dispose of it myself."

"What is it?"

"Like I said, it's some sort of beast drug. Tori claimed that Gabe had doused the bomb-maker and your father with it. My guess? The bomb-maker was a test run, and Tori passed the test."

"So…that means, Vincent _didn't_ lose control when he was fighting against my father. That drug was making him do all those things!" Catherine replied.

"Possibly…Tori said the stuff only works when the toxins are leaked…see that hole? Gabe probably made it so Vincent could smell the crap when he visits tonight. Perhaps the hex bag, or whatever the hell this is called, wasn't open yet when Gabe placed it on your father. I mean, he would have a reaction too if it was. So, Vincent was probably tracking Reynolds, and when the car crashed, the bag opened and its contents saturated your father. That's just my theory but it sounds legit, if you ask me." Tess said. "This beasty paprika was my main reason for coming here."

"So is that all?" Catherine asked but suddenly felt another wave of nausea hit her. She leaned over the toilet and heaved as her stomach emptied its contents into the commode.

"Not anymore," Tess replied and rushed to her friend to rub her back. "Are you sure it's just a bug?"

Catherine nodded as tears started to fall from her eyes. She hated getting sick and it was super badass timing considering Vincent and her plans of escaping tomorrow night. When she believed she was finished, she flushed the commode and sat up. "This is only a 24-hour thing. It'll pass."

Tess wasn't too sure of that, but she decided it was best to keep her thoughts to herself. The last thing Catherine needed to worry about was a possible pregnancy. "You're probably right. Anyway, I'd hate to leave but I have to jet. See you tomorrow sometime?"

"Probably," Catherine nodded. "We'll see where the day takes us."

Tess gave her nauseated friend a light hug. "You take care, okay?"

"All right…" Catherine replied and hinted, "When this all blows over, Vincent and I are going to take a _much needed_ vacation to the mountains…maybe the Catskills."

"Sounds like fun." Tess smiled. "All right, I've gotta jet. Hang in there, Cat."

"I'll try," Catherine said. Funny thing? The moment Tess left with that voodoo hoodoo bag, she felt insanely better. The nausea was still there, but she didn't feel like her intestines were on fire. _What if…Oh God, what am I going to do?!_

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

After Vincent made preparations to leave the city, he hid his and Catherine's bags underground, in the tunnels. If he planned everything according, everyone but Gabe would think Catherine was dead. Gabe would pursue the subways, knowing they would want to have a quick getaway. That might be so, but Vincent figured they would travel in the tunnels for a few hours before taking any subways or busses to the Catskills.

When he arrived back at the guild for dinner, JT was acting very odd. "Okay, man, spill."

"Spill what? My water?" JT gulped but decided to shove his burger into his mouth before he could say anything.

"Something happened today. It's written _all over _your face, JT." Vincent replied. "So once you're done trying to cram as much food into your mouth to avoid the upcoming conversation, feel free to fill me in."

JT inwardly cursed as he forced his food down his throat. "I'm that obvious?"

"Let me put it this way," Vincent said as he started nodding his head up and down. "Yes!"

"I was told not to tell you, but seeing as I can't lie my ass off to you, I might as well." JT clucked his tongue as if he was tsking himself. "Tori came by today."

Vincent's eyes shot open and he snapped his neck towards JT. "And you thought this was something you should keep from me?!"

"Yeah, well, she didn't come bearing gifts, if that's what you wanted to know…. She explained her absence and warned us of Gabe." JT continued.

"We already knew about Gabe."

"Not what _she_ told us."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…. Basically, Gabe's still a beast." JT answered quickly and under low breath with hopes that Vincent couldn't hear him.

"What the f—how does she kn0w?!"

"He tried to slice and dice her, and he left her for dead. I guess he didn't count on her surviving." JT said and then slurped Diet Coke out of his large McDonalds cup. "Anyway, that's not even the major news."

"What do y0u mean?" Vincent groaned, not wanting to hear anymore.

"He had plans for you to kill Catherine tonight."

Vincent looked at his best friend again. "Is he crazy?! I would nev—"

"I'm not done," JT interjected, "V, he had some sort of beast drug on his possession. I don't know where he got it but remember when you and Tori ran off after the bomb maker? Well, Gabe sought him out first and gave him quite the dash of Beast Salt for our least favorite female beast. That's why she suddenly killed him. That drug somehow released her beast. The same thing happened with Reynolds. He must have stashed it on his person when he was confronting the bastard. Tess thinks you somehow opened the contents when you were beating him into a pulp and that's why, not even Cat's voice of reason, could do anything about it. However, that's beside the point. Vincent, Gabe had stashed that drug in Catherine's cell."

"What?"

"Yeah, Tess got word from the jail that Gabe paid a visit to Catherine's cell and told the guards that he had to deliver something regarding the case to her. He even asked to go unattended." JT stated after taking another bite out of his burger. Sensing Vincent's anger and shock, JT patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Tess found the bag of chocolates and took them to her apartment before throwing it into the fire. You should be good to see her."

Vincent opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Dude, like I said, you can see her. Catherine's cell is 100% hex bag free. Tess made sure of that." JT said as he tried to calm Vincent down. "And before you say anything, don't even TRY to confront Gabe. He'll know you're on to him, and if you two duke it out, Catherine may never see the light of day again. Do you want that for her? She doesn't belong in jail, V. Neither do you."

Vincent inhaled a slow breath and nodded. "Thanks for that."

"No prob."

"But, once this is over, I'm going to make sure that bastard pays." Vincent replied darkly, freaking the bejeezus out of JT.

"I'm sure you will." JT replied immediately. Vincent walked into his bedroom and slammed the door before JT could say anything else. Vincent knew he needed to calm himself down. If he left the guild enraged, he couldn't promise what he might do if he made a quick detour to the precinct.

Later that night, as planned, he snuck into the prison, bringing more food with him for Catherine to eat. When he arrived inside the corridor, he saw Catherine leaning against the wall as if she was waiting for him. He raced to the end of the hallway, and noticed how pale she was. "Are you okay?" Without answering, she nodded. He slipped his hand through the bars and felt her forehead. "No Fever…." He then touched her arm and he gasped at how cold her skin was. "You're freezing!"

"You know," Catherine finally replied, "they never _did_ fix that heater…."

Vincent suddenly disappeared, reappeared, and unlocked Catherine's cell. He placed the set of keys on her table after slipping into her cell. Almost immediately, he took off his coat and placed it around her shoulders. He picked her up into his arms and carried her to her cot before placing her down on the mattress. It was faint, but he could smell vomit coming from her breath. "How long has it been since your most recent wave of nausea?"

"A few hours," she shivered. He held her against him as he tried to warm her up. "Any headaches? Sharp pains in the stomach?"

"No and no." Catherine shook her head. "Like I told Tess earlier today, I probably have some sort of bug."

Vincent nodded. "Sorry, old habit I guess."

"Did the doctors here give you anything?"

"No…. They figured it was only something time could cure." Catherine said as she buried her head into Vincent's chest. Catherine decided to dismiss her thought from earlier. Besides, she couldn't be pregnant, could she?

"Okay…you might just have the stomach bug that's been going around the state of New York. I mean, you're housed in a prison and based on what I can see here, it isn't the most sanitary of places." Vincent observed. He kissed Catherine's forehead, and added, "We don't have to go through with plans tomorrow…We can wait a few days if you want."

"No," Catherine shook her head, "No, I want to leave tomorrow. I'm tired of being here, and want to leave New York City as soon as possible. If it weren't for that damn weather, we would be in the Catskills by now."

"Yeah," Vincent nodded. Catherine wrapped her arms around his back and held onto his warmth.

"How are you not cold?" Catherine asked as she started absorbing some of her boyfriend's heat off of his body.

"Perks of the beast, I guess." Vincent shrugged. He held her in his arms and kissed her cheek. He then carried her to the sink, and suggested she brush her teeth if she had any desire in her mind about kissing him. She did so three or four times due to her boyfriend's sensitive nose, and when he couldn't smell vomit on her breath anymore, he finally planted a short kiss on her lips. "I brought some food with me, but considering you have an upset stomach, maybe it isn't the best thing for you to have right now. Though, _have_ you eaten anything today?"

Catherine nodded. "I tried breakfast and lunch, but both were repelled quite quickly. However, I managed to keep my dinner down as well as a snack of a few saltine crackers."

"That's good." Vincent smiled. "Anyway, as much as I want to stay, my love, you need your rest. Tomorrow night is a big night, and you'll need your strength."

Catherine frowned, but knew he was right. If she were to get any sleep at all, tonight would be the time to do it. "Okay," Catherine nodded.

Vincent cupped her face and pulled her in for a brief kiss before leaning his forehead against hers while his nose pressed against her upper lip. "I promise tonight will be the last night you'll ever sleep in this damn place."

"I can hardly wait." Catherine whispered as she felt his warm breath tickling her chin. "Be safe; I love you."

"I love you too, Catherine." Vincent mumbles before giving her another kiss. Unlike the past nights where he would stand in front of the bars and kiss her a thousand kisses before leaving, Vincent simply grabbed the keys, locked her back in and raced out. Perhaps he heard about the hex bag? Perhaps he didn't want to jinx that thing or something. Catherine didn't know, but she was glad he had left. She was afraid that if she _was _carrying a bug, he could catch it. If she wasn't, but was carrying something else inside of her belly, she would fear his reaction.

The last thing Vincent Keller needed was a child to protect as they escaped to Denver.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: I know this is probably a crappy cut-off point but I wanted to get this chapter out in honor of Kristin Kreuk & BATB! :)**

**Don't lose hope for our show…., if you go to my twitter page, you'll find an interview with Brad Kern. Read it, it's amazing and it gives the show a better light! :) The link can be found under "January 10, 2014" at my profile page: Keiko Fujiwara. :) PM me if you have complications!  
**


	9. Part 9

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**I am so sorry for the long delay! I started school last Monday and it's been quite a hectic week! Since I've started school again, all my updates (for the stories I am currently working on) will be slower than usual. This chapter will be shorter for you guys because I still have a lot to do. **

**OH! And if you REALLY LOVE BATB, be sure to go to my profile page (Keiko Fujiwara) and find links under today's date (January 16****th****, 2014) to direct you to a website solely for SAVING BATB! (Courtesy of Lilith Hellfire on Twitter). **

**I don't know about you, but I LOVED last Monday's episode! It was absolutely GREAT! :)**

* * *

**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M for adult themes in the sixth chapter. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Nine~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

DAMMIT! Gabe was pissed. He stormed into his home, angry and confused, wondering why Catherine was still alive. His plan should have worked! Vincent should have ripped her throat out by now! He ran over every scenario within his head and couldn't figure out how Vincent could have avoided his little hex bag. It was certain to work! He hadn't told _anyone _about his plans except T—. Suddenly, realization washed over him. He raked his hair back and muttered a curse under his breath. Tori was still alive.

Gabe should have ensured her demise before leaving her to her death; he should have known she wouldn't have been too easy to kill. After all, she was more obstinate than Vincent or Catherine. No matter. Even if he had reached a small bump within his plans, it could be easily corrected.

Gabe walked over to his dresser and pulled open the top left drawer. He gloved his fingers with a handkerchief and slipped his hand into the drawer to pull out a 99 millimeter. Tomorrow, he would finish the job before they could ever have a chance to escape.

Earlier in the night, he had spied on Catherine from a great distance, wanting to watch Vincent rip her up into shreds. Much to his dismay, he learned of their plans and figured it would be poetic if Vincent swept in to steal his girl away, but instead, found her dead, on the floor, with a bullet to the brain. Vincent wouldn't suspect him; he'd suspect Muirfield or some other organization that wanted to get his attention. Slowly, his final plans would be executed—it was only a matter of time before he destroys the rest of Muirfield once and for all.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

When Vincent returned to the Guild, Tess was drinking a beer at the bar and JT was grading papers. Vincent couldn't blame them for taking a break from Catherine's case; both of them have worked so hard the past week—they deserve some time off. Besides, it wouldn't matter anyway; he and Catherine will have disappeared in less than 24 hours.

"How is she?" JT asked as Vincent sank into the sofa. "I heard she wasn't feeling well."

"She's better," Vincent replied. "She's still a little nauseous. From what? I'm not sure; she did seem a little malnourished, though." Vincent lied. He knew _something_ was going on, and if he had played his cards right during Catherine and his Christmas intimacy, he was pretty sure he knew exactly what was wrong with Catherine. However, JT and Tess didn't need to know that.

"That's good." JT grinned. Something was off—the man was happier than usual and his heart rate was exponentially faster. Now that he thought about it, Tess's heart was racing too. What was so exciting? Hell, he knew they had _something _going on between them but he was pretty sure whatever was making them ecstatic wasn't about their wonky relationship.

"All right you two, quiet down your heartbeats. It's kind of creeping me out." Vincent said as he gave JT and Tess a strange looks.

"We've figured how to ensnare Gabe." JT smirked and then chuckled. "It was Tess's idea and, in my opinion, it's quite genius actually."

"Yup, that's me; Detective Genius at your service." Tess sneered.

"All right…" Vincent raised his right eyebrow, "You have my undivided attention." Vincent twisted his body so he could face his and Catherine's best friends.

"Basically," JT smiled even wider (if that was even possible), and looked at Tess. She nodded for him to continue. "We give him a taste of his own poison."

Vincent gave his friends a curious look. "I like the sound of that, but how exactly are we able to do that when, one, he's a beast again or whatever," Vincent shook his head to shake off the confusion, "two, he's always been like five steps ahead of us, and three, he wants my GIRLFRIEND dead?"

"What JT means to say, is that we incriminate him just like he wanted to incriminate Catherine's father." Tess clarified. "So, while you were off in La La Land with Catherine at the city jail, JT and I tried to figure out Gabe's mindset. Like you've said, he's always been several steps ahead of us. Why? He has eyes and ears everywhere in the precinct—that's how he was able to stay on top of the charges. As evidence came in, he could easily commit a switcheroo if need be, or even plant evidence if he wanted to—which is what I believe he's been doing all along. Anyway," Tess paused to see if Vincent was still with her. His head was cocked and his eyebrow was still raised. "_If_ Gabe actually planted that bag within Catherine's cell and was hoping that you would kill her, he would want to make sure the job was done, right?"

Vincent nodded. "Go on."

"So," JT interjected, "That means he would want to keep a safe distance from the jail to get a front row seat. He wouldn't have been able to see you kill her, but if he was close enough, he could have heard you if we didn't remove that bag in time."

Vincent gulped. That means Gabe overheard their conversation about escaping…. Looks like that plan's a no-go. He will need to sneak off ASAP to let Catherine know about the change of plans. Suddenly, it dawned on him. "Since I didn't kill her, he's going to want to finish the job…."

"Exactly!" Tess and JT exclaimed.

"How is that a good thing?" Vincent was at a complete loss. How was Gabe killing his girlfriend exciting?

"Gabe's not going to want to take any chances in hiring someone, V." JT replied. "He's probably going to want to do the job himself. Meaning, he's going to probably sneak into the jail and try to kill her. However, I'm sure, before he does, he will confess everything because he's going to try to kill her anyway. Might as well come clean, right? So, in that respect, Tess will pretend to be an inmate in a cell within the vicinity and will record everything that transpires. A few more officers will be undercover as guards—officers from Tess's brother's precinct. I will also record from a different cell further away as a backup. When Gabe raises his gun to kill Catheri—"

"I'll swoop in and rip his throat out." Vincent cut in.

"No!" Tess and JT frowned. JT folded his arms across his chest, and Tess walked over to Vincent. "You can't be anywhere near Gabe, Vincent. I know you want to protect Catherine, but if you try to intervene, we could lose jurisdiction. This has to be a meticulous operation—if anything goes wrong, Gabe could figure it out, and Catherine would never get out."

Vincent growled. "If you think I'm just going to sit here and PRAY that my girlfriend comes back to me in once piece, you've got another thing coming!" His eyes started to shift to a golden hue. JT sidestepped over to the tranquilizer gun, and Tess sighed.

"Look, Vincent," Tess folded her arms, "We need to do this by the system."

"Tess, he's a _beast_. The moment he's arrested, he's just going to break free!" Vincent snapped. "Then we'll be back where we started!"

"If you kill him, Vincent, Catherine might just shoot you again." JT deadpanned. "Seriously, don't you learn anything?!"

Vincent took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Look, I wasn't going to tell you this, but Catherine and I made plans to run away. We were going to fake her death and go into hiding. Now that you think Gabe knows of our plans, it's obvious we can't do it anymore, but you want to know what Catherine said to me?" He waited a few seconds before continuing. "Catherine said she was willing to do anything in order to one day gain her freedom. Gabe is a beast. Arrest him if you want to, but I'm going to make sure he doesn't see another day of light ever again." Vincent stood up, "He should have stayed dead last summer."

JT sighed. As much as he hated thinking about Vincent thinking about killing another person, the beast was right. If Gabe isn't dealt with, he would be a constant problem. "Maybe…maybe V has a point."

Tess looked at JT. "Excuse me?"

"Look, if Gabe is still around, he's going to make all of our lives miserable. In my opinion, he's more dangerous than Reynolds ever was. Yes, Daddy Dearest was a part of the FBI, but Gabe? He's a flipping beast! Who knows how long he's been pulling the strings here! We can't exactly tranq him, drag him here and store him in the vault for all of eternity—he's going to escape, and then he will kill us. If Vincent eliminates Gabe, he won't be a problem anymore."

Tess inhaled a big breath and let it out slowly. "You know what, when it comes to beasts and killing beasts, I'll let Catherine make the decision. If she wants Gabe dead, then you'll only have one shot, Vincent. He's smart and he'll catch on quickly. If he's managed to fool all of us this long, imagine just how strong his beast really is."

"I'm stronger." Vincent replied quickly.

"You don't know that." JT said. "However, I suggest you kill Gabe AFTER he's arrested and Catherine acquitted. Then, if you want to kill him and if Catherine will let you, you have the honors. Gabe won't just beast out in public for everyone to see—he has a reputation to uphold. He'll try something in the car—like taking over the wheel or something. _That's _where you need to be, V. In the car and waiting. Then, you can drive Gabe into the Hudson River if you wanted to. Just make sure he's dead first."

Vincent thought at that idea. It certainly wasn't a bad one—though, it killed him, knowing that he must keep a safe distance from the public. He couldn't risk the world finding out about beasts, and if Gabe was going to point a gun at Catherine, he wouldn't be able to contain himself. Vincent started walking towards the door.

"Where're you going?" JT asked.

"To Catherine—since she and I aren't escaping tomorrow, I need to inform her of what the new plans are." Vincent replied and walked out of the guild before the other two could respond. Gabe was going to pay—one way or another, Gabe will suffer every consequence he deserves.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: Yes, this is short, but it's an update. Let me know what you think! :)**

**ALSO ANOTHER BRAD KERN INTERVIEW HAS BEEN POSTED ON MY FANFICTION PROFILE! :)**


	10. Part 10

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**I have some downtime tonight! Because of my intense school schedule, I'm going to start uploading chapters that are about half the length I normally write. **

**Thanks! **

**Can't wait for Monday! :)**

* * *

**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M for adult themes in the sixth chapter. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Ten~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent snuck into the prison and made his way to Catherine's cell. He had swiped the keys off of its hook, and quietly unlocked her cell door. He shoved the keys into his pocket and slipped inside Catherine's cell. He hated the fact that Catherine's corridor had very limited security and that almost anyone could sneak in (including himself). She's a former cop—she _should_ be given more security; who knows how many crazies want her head on a platter?

Vincent shook his head from his thoughts and approached his sleeping beauty. He emphasized her—if not for Gabe, all of the shit his love was going through wouldn't be happening. She didn't deserve this kind of life. He bent over her and watched her sleep for a few moments. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were parched. He made a mental note to return early in the morning to give her some chap-stick. Her hair was frizzy and unclean. It didn't take a beast with a sensitive nose to know she hadn't showered in a few days.

Vincent was mesmerized by Catherine's beauty. He knelt down and planted a kiss on her oily forehead. As her eyes fluttered open, he gazed at her and smiled. "Hey."

"Vi—what're you doing here?" she mumbled as she sat up and rubbed her tired eyes.

Vincent sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the back of her head and leaned his cheek against the crook of her neck. "There's a change of plans….well, kind of."

Catherine turned to look at him, "What do you mean?" She sounded worried.

"We think Gabe's going to try something tomorrow…. He almost had you killed once—he's not going to want to fail again." Vincent said slowly, allowing Catherine to process this new information. "That being said, we're going to try and catch him in the act…but before he actually kills you. Tess and JT have really tried figuring the bastard out, and believe he will confess before killing you…. That's why we're going to ensure he incriminates himself."

Catherine thought about the plan. It was risky, but possible if Gabe doesn't see it coming. However, she didn't like the thought of being used as bait. "That might work, but what about his beast side? He'll do whatever he can _not_ to get arrested. What if he kills you, Tess or even JT?" Catherine felt sick to her stomach. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if anyone she loved was killed because of her. "I can't risk that."

"Don't worry, we have a plan….It's best I don't tell you any more of it—who knows if Gabe is listening on us right now." Vincent replied. He kissed her temple and tightened his hold around her. "I hate to say this, but Tess and JT don't want me around when this plan takes place. They think my hatred for the bastard will override my senses."

"Then where will you be?"

Suddenly, and idea popped into Vincent's head. Before answering Catherine, he pulled out his phone and pressed Tess's contact number, placing the phone against his ear. The line rang two and a half times before the detective answered it. _"Hello?" _

"Hey, I need you over at the prison and pronto," Vincent said into his phone in a low voice, "I've got a plan, but I need you to bring the tranquilizer gun with you. Call me when you get here, I'll help you get inside." Without another word, Vincent ended the phone call and slipped his phone into his pocket. When he turned to face Catherine, she was looking at him with a raised brow.

"Care to share?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Vincent smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. He cupped the left side of her face and rubbed his thumb underneath her eye. "Anyway, soon, you and I will be taking a nice and long vacation in the Catskills. How does that sound?"

"Compared to living in this place? The Catskills sound like heaven right now." Catherine smiled and leaned into his palm. "I'm just…so ready to get out of here."

"I know." Vincent nodded. He strengthened his hold on her and pulled her down with him as he placed his head on top of her frumpy pillow. "And you will be."

Catherine inhaled his scent and laced her fingers with his. "And then what?"

"Hmmm?"

"Well, if we don't have to run away and fake my death, what're we going to do once we get back from our mini vacation? We can't exactly get married—you're still dead to the world." Catherine asked as she looked into his eyes.

Vincent smirked, "I though you didn't care if we ever got married."

She smacked his chest. "You knew what I meant."

"Did I?" he teased before pulling her in for a dozen kisses. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled away to answer her question. "We may not be able to get married—at least not yet—but…we _could_ take the next step in our relationship, Catherine."

Catherine gave him a funny look. "Next step?"

"You know, move in together." Vincent muttered and kissed the top of her head. Catherine whipped her head upwards to look at him.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I mean, there would be risks…like someone finding out about me and such, but I'm tired of hiding, Catherine. I mean, you could move in with me at the Guild or I can move in with you, whichever is easier, but after everything that's happened, I don't want to be away from you any longer than I have to." Vincent replied honestly. "I _want_ people to know you have someone special in your life, Catherine."

Catherine's eyes gleamed at him. "What if…someone finds out about who you are?"

"We'll take it day by day," Vincent whispered and kissed her nose. "For now, people can know you're dating this wonderful guy named Vincent. If they want a last name, we can use Zalansky. I told you at your father's wedding that I wouldn't mind being Vincent Zalansky forever—I meant it; even now. And…_if_ someone figures out I'm Vincent Keller, then maybe it'll be time to come forward."

"Aren't you afraid? I mean, there might be other groups out there…"

Vincent nodded, "Yeah, I'm afraid…, but you know what? As long as you're with me, we'll get through it." He kissed her forehead and then her nose before pressing his lips against hers.

Catherine decided it was time to stop worrying about what ifs and just focus on the present. Their future will unfold one way or another, and Vincent was right: as long as they had each other, they could overcome anything.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

The couple lost time in each other as several minutes passed by, and neither lover realized Tess standing at the cell door. She could have walked inside the cell if she wanted to, but she decided to give them a little bit of space. A minute passed so she finally cleared her throat, catching the couple off guard.

"You're lucky I have connections around this place. Now, why leave a cryptic message and tell me to get my butt over here in the middle of the night?" Tess crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

Vincent and Catherine jumped apart and straightened themselves as Tess walked into the open cell. Vincent walked over to the detective and took the tranquilizer gun from her hands. "I don't feel comfortable for Catherine to be unguarded if Gabe tries _anything_ on her tomorrow…erm later today. So, I want Catherine to have this tranquilizer gun on her person when and if Gabe gives his confession speech. After he confesses, JT or even you, Tess, need to come from behind and shoot him with the spare. Then, Catherine can give him another dart—or as many darts as it takes to bring him down."

"Okay...that makes sense, but what're we going to do if the guards see a Defense Attorney lying on the floor, passed out in front of Cat's cell? That wouldn't bode well for her." Tess raised her eyebrow.

"I don't think we'll have a problem with that," Vincent replied as he handed the tranquilizer gun to Catherine before sitting back down next to her. "Gabe is going to do his best to make sure _no one_ can catch him in the act—he's going to most likely approach Catherine at night when there's less security. He's a beast so he can easily find his way around the place without security ever finding out about it. Around 9 AM in the morning, you should inform the head of the prison what you're doing, and ask him to help you go undercover as a new inmate. You'll be close enough where you can shoot him if need be, and JT will be at a safe distance recording everything. Tell the head of the prison not to get any of his men involved—it needs to be a careful operation. Then, after he's been tranquilized, I will swoop in, grab his body and kill him once and for all. You'll have your testimony, which will free Catherine, and I will get rid of Gabe's body so no one would ever find him."

Tess eyed Catherine as Vincent mentioned the 'K-word.' Not once did her former partner flinch. Looks like Catherine must want Gabe dead as much as Vincent does. Technically, Tess would be appalled to allow someone kill an acquaintance of hers—good or bad—but considering the threat Gabe has on the world, she decided to dismiss the sick feeling inside of her gut so her best friend could finally have some peace.

"Fine, but if you're going to kill him, don't screw up. You'll only have one shot at this. He's almost died before…I wouldn't be surprise if he finds a way to survive Duel of the Beasts too." Tess replied stoically.

"Don't worry," Vincent said, "I won't fail."

"All right, well now that we've have this plan semi-settled, I'm going home. I need a good night sleep if the Beastmapocalypse starts tomorrow. You should leave soon, too, Vincent."

"I'll be fine." Vincent assured her. Tess emitted a yawn and nodded before leaving Catherine's cell. When she disappeared down the corridor, Vincent pulled Catherine back down into his arms. "I think…for tonight, I'll stay here."

"The guards might see you," Catherine replied worriedly.

Vincent smirked, "I guess it's good I have super-speed then."

Catherine smiled. "Right." She buried her head into his chest and absorbed his warmth. "Thank you, Vincent—for everything you're doing for me."

"You don't have to thank me, my love." Vincent whispered. "I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Catherine surprised him with a kiss before muttering, "I'm glad." The Beauty kissed her beast once more on his lips. She wanted him to know just how grateful she is to have him in her life. If not for his obstinacy, she could be in jail for the rest of her life. She was glad to have someone believe in her—even during the times she had less faith in her own self. "I'm glad." She repeated before closing her eyes, and snuggling against his warmth. Tonight was going to be a comfortable night, and both lovers couldn't wait for Catherine's release. Tomorrow, Catherine will be free—and Gabe will lose everything.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: All right! What did you think?! Plus, if you've seen the newest BATB episode "Ancestors" and YOU are Canadian, please feel free to describe the episode in THREE WORDS! :)**

**Let me know what you think so far! :)**


	11. Part 11

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**I don't know about you but I thought last Monday's episode was AWESOME! O.O I can't believe my favorite episode thus far would be one where Vincent & Catherine are broken up! O.O Anyway, I have faith in the writers and see the bigger picture of our favorite show—Vincent & Catherine's love being epically more awesome than S1! Give both of them some slack—they both deserve a break considering what has happened in the last 10 episodes. They need to break up in order to remind themselves what they're missing on. I have faith in the writers; you should to! :) Two more episodes and then TORI is gone! That's something to celebrate, right? **

**Can't wait for Monday! :)**

* * *

**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M for adult themes in the sixth chapter. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Eleven~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Early in the morning, Vincent woke up with Catherine in his arms, and found Tess standing in front of the cell's door. He blinked twice, thinking he was still dreaming, but when she pushed through the still-unlocked gate and walked inside the cell.

Vincent shook Catherine awake, and in minutes both the beauty and the beast were looking straight at the detective, waiting for her to say something. "While you two were here, JT and I came up with a _better _idea, but we need to move fast."

Vincent sat up and pulled Catherine with him. "Which is?"

"Instead of Gabe having the upper hand here in this public prison, I think we should make sure we have the higher ground." Tess explained. "That being said, I've been granted permission to escort Catherine to a safe house. Because my older brother is in charge of another precinct and I feel the 125th is treating this case unfairly, my brother is now secretly in charge of the case. Anyway, that's not the important part. If Gabe tries to hurt Catherine in anyway while she's at a safe house, we won't need to incriminate him. Consider this plan a failsafe."

Vincent considered the risks if they _did_ move Catherine. They certainly were less risky…. However, a thought came to mind. "If we move Catherine to a safer location, Gabe's not going to storm in and try to shoot her. He's smarter than that. He's going to act like he's there to help her—either that or he'll kill everyone in the safe house before getting to Catherine. For all we know, he might blame the potential murders on me…."

"That's why my uncle is going to send an email to Gabe, telling him Cat was moved to a _different _location. He'll try to track her down there, and the only thing waiting for him will be a swat team. He'll be so angry for being tricked; he'll beast out from rage. The swat time will be like WTF and shoot him faster than when I shot you." she said as she looked at Vincent.

"And if he figures things out beforehand? Or even kills all of the swat team members before they have a chance to kill him?" Catherine leaned closer to Vincent's shoulder and looked at her best friend with worried eyes. "Like Vincent said, Gabe's smart—he'll figure it out…. He might even follow my scent."

Tess hadn't thought of that. She pressed her lips together into a fine line, and heaved a silent sigh. "When we get to the safe house, you and I will swap clothes. Vincent and I will be waiting at the fake house—our mixed scents will confuse him, temporarily—and we wil—"

"No." Catherine shook her head. "There will be no swapping of clothes or anything." Vincent and Tess looked at Catherine, wondering what the hell was going through her mind, "I want to be the one who looks Gabe directly in the eyes as he confesses his sins. I don't care if I go to a safe house, or if he comes here. I just don't want to hide from my troubles anymore. Hell, I'm all for shooting him too." Catherine's sudden determination shocked Vincent and Tess. It's been a long time since she's shown any sign of fire in her soul.

Tess smirked. "Well, since Gabe _is_ still a beast, we can't exactly use the system to take him down."

"Exactly," Catherine nodded, "The less people who are involved, the better. Tell your brother _not_ to send in a swat team. Also, tell your uncle to go ahead and give the _right_ address to Gabe. We're going to finish this once and for all."

Vincent stared at his girlfriend with amazement. It was almost as if her personality regressed overnight. He sneered—his girlfriend's spirit was back; well, most of it anyway. "I think Catherine's right about this. We _need_ to end it. Besides, if anyone asks why Gabe is dead, you could always say he quickly became a threat that needed to be taken down."

"Fine." Tess nodded. "My car's out back. I trust you'll take her safely to it?" She looked directly at Vincent.

"Yeah." The beast replied.

"Good. While you two get cozy in the car, I'll go talk to my uncle and tell him the new development. Then, I'll call my brother and tell him to stand down." Before anything else was said, Tess raced down the hallway, leaving Vincent and Catherine to themselves.

Quickly, Vincent snuck Catherine out of the prison, and helped her into the car. He helped strap her in and then he slid in next to her in the back seat. She leaned into him, shivering from the cold winter morning, and focused on absorbing his warmth. Vincent noticed the car keys sitting in a cup holder between the front two seats. He picked them up and reached over the driver's seat to turn on the car. He adjusted the temperature settings before sitting back down. "There, it should be warmer in a few minutes."

Catherine nodded and closed her eyes—she was utterly exhausted. It's been a long time since she's actually gotten a decent full night of sleep among many other things. A spa date with Tess was certainly in order once this whole thing blows over. Vincent noticed Catherine's fatigue and inwardly worried for her. Her face was slimmer and her lips were still chapped. He leaned back against the backseat and tugged her closer to him, ensuring she was receiving as much warmth as he could offer her. He rested his cheek against her head and also closed his eyes.

Minutes later, Tess hopped into the front of the vehicle, buckled her seatbelt and then pulled out onto the street. "We'll be going to a cabin at the foot of the Catskills. It's as isolated as Hawaii is from the US."

When she didn't hear a response from her best friend or her best friend's boyfriend, she quickly glanced into the rearview mirror. Seeing Cat and Vincent sleeping pleasantly in each other's arms made her smile. She hadn't seen her best friend so placid in a long time—and was glad that, even for a short while, Catherine could have this moment with Vincent.

She had to face it—Vincent made her best friend whole. At first, she didn't think a beast was the best thing for Cat, but if anything, Vincent was the only one who kept her from losing her sanity in the prison. She doubt she would ever have that much of an effect on Cat. She knew her best friend was only kidding herself when she considered taking a break from her relationship with Vincent—hell, she _knew_ the former detective wouldn't be able to stay away from Vincent for too long. She still may not like the beast all that much, but in order to see Cat's contented face again, her tolerance for Vincent Keller was worth it.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

About an hour later, the threesome finally made it to the safe house. Vincent had awakened about fifteen minutes after leaving the city, but Catherine was still sleeping. He unbuckled her seatbelt and picked her up into his arms before carrying her inside the cabin. Instead of waking her up like she probably would have wanted him to do, he gently kicked open the door to a bedroom and placed her on the bed. Catherine really needed her sleep—especially if she was pregnant.

He walked out of the bedroom, closed its door and sighed. "If Gabe plans on confronting Catherine at night, we're going to need to be ready. He could try anything to get her alone." Vincent fell onto a musky, fading-blue couch and looked directly at Tess. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Well, if he _is_ going to try to attack or whatever at night, Cat's going to want to be awake and alert. We don't have to wake her up now, but I think she should be up around noon. I brought a few recording devices; it isn't as high-tech as the long range recording device Catherine used against her father, but it will work as well as anything else. I can set one up in here, one in the kitchen and the other one in the room Cat is sleeping in. After we kill him off, I'll take these devices to JT; he's willing to audit the recording and cut out anything beast-related—including your voice."

"All right." Vincent nodded. "Now that we're here, I think it's time I make some breakfast for Catherine—I know she should sleep but she also needs to restore her stamina as well. Is there any food here?"

"No…. I can go to the store and buy some groceries. I think we both know you can protect Catherine a lot better than me so you stay here and make sure my best friend is alive when I return." Tess stated as she started walking backwards towards the front door.

"Will do." Vincent gave the detective a small smile.

"Good." Tess replied and then disappeared out the door. Vincent locked the front door, and then approached the bedroom Catherine was sleeping in. He pulled back the covers and slid beside Catherine and pulled the covers back up before wrapping his strong arms around her small body. He swore to himself he wouldn't fall asleep. Even if he wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep, it didn't mean he couldn't protect her as she slept in his arms.

"Soon," he mumbled underneath his breath, "soon we'll be able to put all of this behind us."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: Sorry it took so long to update! School has been CRAZY! Tell me what you think (I'm sorry if this chapter seemed rushed.)**


	12. Part 12

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**Ugh! I feel like a horrible beastie! :( Here you are waiting for another chapter (patiently, I might add!), and here I am working on hell! Let me tell ya, trying to find a balance between BATB, School, HW, Internship and editing for my university's paper is not easy! Oh yeah! There's sleep too! **

**Anyway, here's the next installment! (PS, I haven't forgotten about my other works! I've just been too busy lately.) **

**Can't wait for Monday! It's time for V to kick some Gabe-booty! :)**

* * *

**Title** | Always

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | JT is pissed of what Catherine did to try to save Vincent from making the worst decision of his life, and he gives her a drunken piece of his mind. His words destroy her faith in her relationship with Vincent, and she's determined to forget him. Vincent finally wakes up and finds out what JT had said to Catherine, so he rushes over to make things right. She tells him she needs a break from the relationship. Can Vincent and Catherine's love for one another be salvaged before the holiday or is everything too late? Find out!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated M for adult themes in the sixth chapter. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Always**

**~Part Twelve~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Gabe was not surprised when he received an email around 9 AM informing him of Catherine's transfer. He assumed Tess would try something, so he was prepared for anything. Besides, a secluded cabin up in the mountains did him a favor; he could hold nothing back without the worry of watchful eyes leering over him. He was a little pissed that they had found his little hex bag before Vincent could have the chance to rip Catherine apart, but he knew there was always room for Plan B if needed. And this was certainly a Plan B. Gabe stood up from his desk, and walked over to the window looming over Manhattan. Despite the ominous clouds approaching the city, it was going to be a glorious day. He will finally be able to exact revenge for what Catherine's family did to him. Sure, after years and years of meditation, he finally came to terms with the monster living inside of him, but before having the courage to fight for his freedom, he used to live in hiding like Vincent. If not for Tyler and her amazing influence, he still would be living in the shadows.

His entire plan was coming all together. He remembered the first day he walked into the precinct—eager to hunt down the vigilante. Catherine thought he wanted to help Vincent; however, deep down, beneath the ocean of lies swarming inside of him, he had planned to recruit the beast. He wanted to kill Agent Reynolds for making him go into hiding for so long—but the damned FBI Agent was just too smart for his own good. So, what does Gabe do? He goes directly to the source of Reynolds' weakness—Catherine. Yes, Vincent was a big part of Gabe's revenge plot, but Catherine? She was his bait. He knew that once Reynolds would get wind of him working in the same precinct as Catherine, there was only going to be a matter of time before Father Dearest would show up to save the day.

He had no doubt that Reynolds was planning on killing him that night—hell, he sure tried. When he found out the bastard took Vincent away from him, he knew he had to figure out another way to lure the beast-hunter out of the darkness. So, once again, he decides to play on Catherine's good side in order to regain her trust. Reynolds thought he was dead, and he knew the FBI agent had contacts in the area. To his surprise, however, it took three months for Robert Reynolds to surface again. When Gabe found out about Vincent's new transformation, he decided he could use it to his advantage. Getting close to Vincent meant getting close to Reynolds.

And he had done just that.

However, what he wasn't planning for was Catherine shooting Vincent several weeks ago. He knew he couldn't be near the crossfire since he needed a solid alibi, but he never thought the female cop had it in her. Hell, he thought she would actually let Vincent kill the man who had done so much to ruin her life. It's funny how things seem to turn out.

Once again, he used the turn of events to his advantage. With the veil torn between Vincent and Catherine, he would have a better chance at getting closer to Catherine in order to break her spirit. The lovers reuniting was a small setback, but adjustable. He had captured Tori in case Vincent and Catherine were to ever mend the bond between them, but despite his brutal and torturous efforts to convince the redheaded beast to seduce Vincent with her freaky genetic charm, she had refused. The bitch certainly had lots of willpower. When he introduced the special mojo bag to her, she still refused to do his bidding.

That's why he ripped her guts out. She would have told on him, and he couldn't have that.

As cars buzzed below him, he thought about the next course of actions he needed to take. He had a sinking feeling that his plans were compromised, but he didn't care. He had gotten this far with success, and he was determined to finish the job successfully. He's a lot stronger than Vincent would think—he had no doubt that he had the advantage.

He would approach the cabin, pretend to be the good guy in hopes that he isn't compromised, and try to get Catherine alone in a room. He would convince her that another faction was the one responsible for her father's death—and that he had been wrongly mistaken about her involvement.

If that plan wasn't going to work, he would resort to his darker self to get things done quickly. He had no doubt that Vincent was there—that was a good thing. Fighting against Vincent would allow him to put his rusty skills to practice. "It'll be like hitting a punching bag." Gabe smirked. He walked away from the window, grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

To the Catskills it is then.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent heard Tess lightly knocking on the door of their temporary bedroom. He slowly slipped out of the bed, pulled the covers back over Catherine's shoulders and walked over to the door. He quietly pulled the latch and opened the door to see Tess standing in the hallway with a bag in her arms.

"Back so soon?" Vincent laughed as he walked out of the bedroom and led the cop away from the hallway.

"Don't sound _too_ happy," Tess rolled her eyes. "Anyway, since I figured it was pointless to cook anything seeing that Gabe could arrive any minute, I bought some bagels. Cat loves blueberry bagels—especially when she's in a hurry. I got you plain….I wasn't sure what you liked so I went a little on the safe time, big guy."

"That's fine. Plain sounds good to me." Vincent replied. "You set things up; I'll wake up Catherine."

"All right." Tess shrugged as she slipped her hand into the bag and pulled out a Cinnamon bagel for herself. Vincent walked back into the bedroom, and found Catherine fully awake. However, she was staring at the wall in deep thought. He figured that she didn't hear him walk in because when he sat next to her, she didn't even faze.

"Catherine?" he gave her a funny look as he lightly tapped her shoulder. "Is everything all right?"

No answer.

"Catherine?"

He heard her utter something very vague, but her voice was so soft and incoherent. "What's wrong?" He waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't' even blink. Suddenly, his attention turned to a foul smell emanating from their bed. He pulled the sheets back, and immediately felt sick to his stomach. "Damn…" He muttered softly and closed his eyes as he inhaled a deep breath.

He immediately covered the dark red stain back up with the quilt, and pulled his catatonic girlfriend into his arms. He kissed her head, but didn't say anything. He couldn't lie to her and tell her it was okay—that everything was all right. Obviously, it wasn't.

Suddenly, he heard her breakdown into his arms, apologizing to him multiple times. He slowly rocked her back and forth within his arms, and silently held her as her cries echoed through the room. At one point, Tess walked into the bedroom, wondering why Catherine was crying, but Vincent's solemn face told her to walk out of the room, and wait for him. Minutes passed, and when Catherine passed out from exhaustion and crying, he carried her out of the bedroom and took her to the other bedroom down the hall. There was nothing anyone could do for now—he did all he could to console her, but he needs to be emotionally ready for Gabe if the bastard even shows.

He didn't want to leave Catherine in the room alone, but she needed her rest. If, at any time she needed him, he would be right at her side in seconds. He owed her at least that much. He would clean her up later—after the whole Gabe issue is settled.

Vincent made his way into the kitchen where Tess sat at the table, tapping her fingers impatiently. "By the look of your face earlier, just please tell me she didn't lose the baby."

Vincent didn't know how Tess had figured out she was pregnant, but at this point, he didn't care. Gravely, he slowly nodded his face, and gulped down an empty swallow. "She did…."

Tess released a loud sigh and covered her head with her hands. She stretched her face downwards before regaining her composure. "Did you know? That she was… you know…"

"Was it confirmed? No," he shook his head, "but based on a few symptoms she had yesterday, I had suspicions."

"What're you going to do now?"

"What can we do?" Vincent asked as he looked at Tess. "Catherine is in shock—she's in no fit to be anywhere near Gabe."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, Vincent, but JT called not too long ago; he told me Gabe was on his way to the Catskills. He's about twenty minutes out." Tess stated in frustration. "We can't exactly string a banner up that says, "Party has been postponed, please seek next venue.""

"I know…which is why I want you to stay with Catherine. Be with her and don't let her out of your sight. I'm going to track Gabe and stop him from coming any further than he has to. It's his damned fault she's in this mess in the first place—if he didn't arrest her, she would be fine! If he would have…I don't know…made sure she got proper care at that goddamn prison, she wouldn't have basically starved our unborn child to death!" Vincent's eyes started to glow. He walked over to the counter, grabbed a coffee cup out of the cupboard and smashed it against the wall six feet in front of him.

Tess flinched from the crashing sound. "Look, I get that you're pissed and all; hell, I'm pissed, but you can't just go flying out of here with anger flowing through you like that! You'd be reckless, and Gabe will use that to his advantage!"

"Not this time." Vincent said darkly, deciding he was going to use his anger as fuel for his hatred towards Gabe. "Excuse me for this, but I am fucking tired of Gabe controlling our lives; he took away Catherine's freedom, he stripped her of every damned right she has, he's framed her for conspiracy of murder, he tried to hex me into killing her and now, after everything he has put Catherine through, he has killed our child. No more. This ends today."

Before Tess could stop him from leaving the safe house, Vincent disappeared. "I hope you're right, Vincent." Tess sighed. She stood up from her seat and looked out the window. "It's going to be a nasty storm, that's for sure." Quietly, she walked towards the back room where Vincent had moved Catherine. She sat down next to her best friend and lied beside her. She understood Vincent's desire to end everything as soon as possible, but he should really be with Catherine—not out there killing the hell out of Gabe. But hell, she couldn't blame him. She honestly wanted to kill the bastard herself. But, right now, Catherine needed comfort, so she will smother her best friend in comfort, and pray that Vincent returns in one piece.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

It didn't take long for Vincent to find Gabe. The man was driving a black Porsche for crying out loud. Vincent decided the element of surprise would be the best form of attack—if he could surprise Gabe enough to make him crash, the claimed-former-beast wouldn't have anywhere to run other than the wilderness around them.

Vincent leaned from a branch of a tree and scoped Gabe out—when the black car was close enough; he leapt off of the limb and headed for the hood of Gabe's car. In seconds, the car swerved left and right, but he did not budge from his firm grip on the vehicle. When the Porsche crashed into a trunk of a tree, Vincent smashed his way into the car and bared his teeth at Gabe as he grabbed him by the collar.

"I think you have me confused with someone else," Gabe said, trying to play innocent. Vincent growled and tossed him several feet into the air. Vincent jumped off of the car and landed about thirty feet away from the scene. He wanted to give Gabe a chance to beg for his life. When the defense attorney stood back on his feet, he brushed off the dirt from his black sports coat and smirked. "I guess I have Catherine to thank for the welcoming party?"

Vincent grunted, "Shut up!"

The defense attorney smirked. Suddenly, Gabe's eyes started to glow a yellowish color as claws and fangs appeared out of nowhere. Vincent showed no sign of shock. "I take it you have known about my little deception for quite some time."

"I knew there was something off about you from the beginning."

"Did you?"

"Whatever game you're playing at," Vincent began, "it ends today."

"Don't be so sure about that. You're not the only experiment to have a few trump cards up his sleeve."

"Feh," Vincent spat, "I don't need any trump cards."

"We'll see about that, Vincent." Gabe chuckled sinisterly. "We'll see about that."

As both beasts charged towards each other, lightning and thunder rolled around them and rain showered from the sky. If there was going to be a war, Nature was welcoming it. No matter which stance either beast took, both knew one thing: One will fall, and the other will rise.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: Well…that was one hell of a chapter. Please don't hate me! I felt like I needed to up the ante! So, I did! **

**Let me know what you think! (even if you hated this chapter)**

**Thanks!**


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